


I’m a Bold Guy

by TheLonelySunflower



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe-Canon Divergence, Breakups, Buffer Friend, Crushes, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, No Myron, Roderick and Spencer being adorable idiots, Slow Burn, Song fic, Third Wheels, alternating pov, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:39:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLonelySunflower/pseuds/TheLonelySunflower
Summary: When Alistair and Spencer finally start dating, Spencer believes it’s the best thing to ever happen to him. However, things get awkward between the two quickly when both Spencer and Alistair realize they don’t have very much in common. Desperate to keep the relationship alive, Spencer starts having Roderick tag along with him and Alistair as a buffer. Things get complicated though when unexpected feelings emerge.
Relationships: Alistair (Glee)/Spencer Porter, Mason McCarthy/Jane Hayward (Background), Roderick Meeks/Spencer Porter, Roderick/Spencer Porter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter One: The Perfect Buffer

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this prompt somewhere (I forget where at the moment), and I thought it was really cute. Plus, there just aren’t enough Fics out there for the Season 6 newbies. I hope you all enjoy! Please be sure to leave kudos and comment if you do. Thanks for reading! :)

It was another Friday night that Spencer spent on his basement couch making out with his boyfriend, Alistair. The two of them had been doing it ever since they had gotten together a few weeks back. Their normal Friday routine would be go to glee club together, have Spencer drive them back to his place, make out for a while, and watch a movie or something else on TV afterwards. It was a pretty good routine. Well, the making out part was at least. The rest of it was certainly less than perfect. The drive back to Spencer’s house was always a little awkward considering they could never agree on what music to listen to. With Spencer being a rock and roll guy and a big fan of AC/DC and Rolling Stones, and Alistair preferring more alternative stuff, their music tastes were bound to clash. And that on top of the fact that all their conversations seemed to be about glee club. When Spencer really thought about it, he realized that he didn’t think they ever really talked about anything else. Plus, whenever they finished making out, the two boys would attempt to have a conversation, but it was rather shallow and fizzled out quickly. Which is why they quickly turned on the tv in order to serve as a distraction from the awkward silence between the two boyfriends. 

Still, the making out part was great. Really great, in fact. Alistair was an amazing kisser, and Spencer was pretty confident in his kissing abilities as well. Both of those factors led to some pretty awesome make out sessions. In fact, they were so awesome that they almost made up to the awkwardness both before and after.  _ Almost.  _

__ They had been making out for about an hour when Alistair pulled away, and asked, “Hey, can we take a break?”

“Yeah, totally,” Spencer said, although the very last thing he wanted to do was take a break. Taking a break meant that they’d have to shift into the awkward phase of trying and failing to have an actual conversation, and Spencer wanted to avoid that if possible. Still, he wasn’t going to force Alistair to keep kissing him. That was just messed up. So, he pulled himself off from Alistair’s lap so he was no longer straddling him, and sat down next to him. As he put his arm around the back of the couch, Spencer asked, “So what do you wanna do now?”

“Huh...movie?” Alistair suggested, sounding more like a question than anything. 

Spencer nodded as he picked up the TV remote, “Sounds good.”

Once he pulled Netflix up on the TV, Spencer started scrolling for something new for him and Alistair to watch. That proved to be a challenge because they had already watched a fair portion of the movies on Netflix, and Spencer wasn’t willing to stoop down to the levels of  _ The Kissing Booth  _ just yet. Therefore, Spencer kept scrolling until one movie caught his attention. He perked up when he noticed that one of his favorite movies of all time had just been added back to Netflix. 

Spencer looked at his boyfriend with a hopeful smile and asked, “How about  _ Shawshank Redemption _ ?” 

“Ehh,” Alistair responded, shrugging his shoulders slightly. 

When Spencer saw that reaction, he tried his best to hide his disappointment. Instead, he asked, “Not a fan, I’m guessing?”

“It’s an okay movie,” Alistair answered, “It’s just that it’s kind of depressing, don’t you think?”

At that point, Spencer was inclined to argue that it was supposed to be depression, and that’s what made the ending more satisfying. After all,  _ The Shawshank Redemption  _ was literally one of the greatest movies of all time. However, Spencer was socially aware enough to realize that a movie probably wasn’t worth getting into an argument with his boyfriend however. That’s why he instead suggested, “How about  _ Avengers _ ?” 

It was kind of basic, but they had watched it before together, so Spencer knew it was a safe choice. This thought was confirmed when Alistair nodded and said, “Sure.”

During the entire first time of the movie, Spencer was debating whether or not to put his arm around Alistair. Granted, they were dating and everything, but Alistair could be a little weird when it came to physical affection sometimes, besides when they were making out of course. He wasn’t always in the mood for it which was difficult for Spencer. The football player was much better at expressing his feelings through touch rather than words. His long haired boyfriend however, was the exact opposite, which caused Spencer to be confused about how exactly to show his affection towards Alistair. He was so caught up in the debate going on in his head that he could barely pay attention to the movie. 

Eventually, he was pulled out of his thoughts by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out to see that he had a text from Roderick,  _ Hey, are you busy tomorrow? _

_ Not at all, why?,  _ Spencer quickly responded. 

A few minutes later, another text from Roderick popped up that read,  _ I was wondering if you wanted to meet up at the music store tomorrow? I kind of need some help picking out my song for Glee club next week.  _

__ Rachel had given the club their assignment for the upcoming week that Friday to give them more time to prepare. The lesson was called “One Man (or Woman) Band”. Basically what they had to do was take a song from a famous singing group or band and sing it as a solo. When Spencer thought about it, he realized he could probably use some help choosing a song as well. 

_ Yeah, that sounds great. Does three work two work well for you?  _ Spencer asked. He had a tendency to sleep until twelve on Saturdays, and didn’t want to risk accidentally sleeping through his and Roderick’s meet time. 

The typing bubbles appeared for a few seconds before Roderick’s response came though,  _ Yeah, that works great. Thanks man. I’ll see ya tomorrow. _

_ See ya tomorrow, man _ , Spencer texted back. 

When Spencer finally looked up from his phone, he saw that Alistair’s eyes were still glued to the TV, not even noticing that Spencer had been on his phone. 

A few weeks ago, if someone had told Spencer that he would be spending a Saturday at the music store with Roderick Meeks, he probably would have punched them. That was so far out of the realm of possibilities for Spencer that the mere suggestion would’ve completely thrown him off his game. However, his dad always tells him that the only thing consistent in life is change, and Spencer figured it applied perfectly to this situation. It’s still kind of insane to Spencer that a spoiled little kid’s bar mitzvah is what caused him and Roderick to make amends, but Kurt had informed him that was one of the more normal things that has happened in the New Directions. It made Spencer wonder what kind of wild crap went down in that choir room back in the olden days. Still, after everything that happened that week between the failed gym class tests, their verbal spouts, Roderick rescuing Myron from a giant pod all the while helping set Alistair and Spencer up, the two boys had become friends. Granted, they didn’t hang out outside of school much, but it was always fun when they did. Plus, Roderick was fun to talk to in glee club. They both shared a kind of dry sense of humor that other members of the club didn’t always pick up on, so it was cool for Spencer to have someone to riff off of. Out of the New Directions members, Roderick is definitely the one he felt closest with. 

When Spencer eventually pulled into the parking lot of the stupidly named “Between the Sheets Music Store”, Roderick was leaning against the outside wall of the store with his signature headphones around his ears. Spencer quickly parked his car, and hopped out of the driver's seat. When he slammed his car door shut and locked it, Roderick looked up from his phone and pulled his headphones off. He offered Spencer a kind smile as he said, “Hey man.”

“Hey dude,” Spencer replied with a smile as he walked towards the other boy, “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“Oh don’t worry, you’re totally fine. I just got here about five minutes ago,” Roderick ressaured Spencer as they walked into the music store, “Thanks again for helping me out today.”

Spencer then said, “Yeah, no problem. To be honest, I kind of need help with this assignment too. I’m pretty much stumped on ideas.”

“See, I actually have the opposite problem. I have so many ideas that I can’t settle on one,” Roderick explained as him and Spencer made their way to the “band” section of the sheet music store and started flipping through all the sheet music. 

After Roderick said that, Spencer suggested, “Well, run them by me. I can probably help you narrow down the list.”

“Well, at first I was thinking about doing some of the classics. You know, Four Seasons, Beatles, maybe the Temptations. But then I thought about maybe doing something by Duran Duran,” Roderick told him. 

Spencer raised his eyebrow and asked in a slightly judgmental tone, “Duran Duran?”

“I know, I know, they were my mom’s favorite group back in the day. She practically drilled their songs into my head as a kid, so I figured it was a safe bet for me,” Roderick explained with laughter in his voice, “I have all the words to ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’ engraved into my memory against my will.”

“Okay, well he can definitely cross Duran Duran off the list right away,” Spencer told his friend before asking, “What else you’ve got?”

“Smart call on Duran Duran. And besides that, I was thinking I could possibly try out AC/DC but I’m not a hundred percent sure on that one,” Roderick answered. 

“Well if you’re not completely sold on AC/DC, I’d say you could eliminate that one,” Spencer suggested, “Out of the other three, I think Temptations suits your voice the best. Plus, I doubt anyone else is gonna do them, so you get points for originality.”

“Good point,” Roderick responded as he flipped through a Temptations sheet music book before asking, “Any particular songs in mind? I really don’t wanna do ‘My Girl’. It’s too much of a safe choice.”

“Smart thinking, my choice would be either ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ or ‘Can’t Get Next to You’,” Spencer answered. 

A mischievous grin spread across Roderick’s face as he said, “Or I could do a mashup of them both.”

“Bold mold, don’t you think?” Spencer asked, although the look on his face clearly conveyed that he was joking. 

Roderick noticed this and quickly quipped back by saying, “I’m a bold guy.”

“Is that so?” Spencer questioned, still smirking. 

Roderick smirked back and asked, “You don’t believe me?”

“I guess you’re gonna have to prove it to me,” Spencer told him before saying, “Seriously though, I think the mashup’s a great idea.”

“Thanks man, I appreciate it,” Roderick responded before asking, “You thinking of doing some old school stuff too or maybe going more modern?”

Spencer answered, “I have no clue to be honest. I was kind of planning on having you pick something out for me. I trust your judgement.”

“Well, in that case, I think you should sing Duran Duran, ‘Girls on Film’,” Roderick told him jokingly. 

Upon hearing that, Spencer rolled his eyes good naturedly and joked, “Nevermind, I take it back. You have terrible taste in music.”

Both boys chuckled a little at that before Roderick said, “Okay, in all serious, I’d say do some rock n’ roll. I remember you saying before that Bon Jovi’s your favorite band.”

“Oh, a hundred percent,” Spencer replied, pleasantly surprised that Roderick remembered his favorite band. 

“In that case, I’d say do either ‘It’s my Life’ or ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’,” the other boy said. 

Spencer then said, “Oof, that’s a tough choice.”

“Maybe try a mashup?” Roderick suggested. 

Spencer shook his head, “I’m not sure. Not all of us can be as bold as you.”

“What can I say? It’s a gift,” Roderick responded jokingly, shrugging a little. 

Spencer laughed lightly before saying, “I think I’m gonna stick with ‘It’s My Life’.”

“Smart move,” Roderick told him before saying, “That was easier than I thought.”

“Same here,” Spencer responded before suggesting, “Want to look around a little bit more? See what else they have here?”

“Yeah, sure,” Roderick answered.

The two of them then spent some time wandering around the music store. They eventually stumbled into the vinyl section and began to browse all the different records. Eventually, Roderick discovered a vinyl edition of Twenty One Pilots album  _ Vessel,  _ and told Spencer, “Hey, maybe you should get this for Alistair.”

“Oh, he likes Twenty One Pilots?” Spencer asked curiously. 

It wasn’t until Spencer asked that question did he realize how stupid it sounded. After all, Alistair was his freaking boyfriend! Spencer should really know what bands his own boyfriend likes. 

Apparently, Roderick thought it was stupid question too as he raised his eyebrow and said, “Seriously? They’re like his favorite band of all time. He never stops talking about them.”

“Oh, he never mentioned it to me,” Spencer admitted, sounding obviously dejected and embarrassed. 

Roderick’s face then shifted to something kinder. A small smile spread across his face and said, “Well, if you wanna score some brownie points with Alistair, this would be perfect for him.”

Spencer cracked a small smile and responded, “Thanks man, I really owe you big time.”

“Don’t mention it, just doing my job as designated wingman,” Roderick told him jokingly. 

“Well, you’re pretty much the best wingman possible,” Spencer told him, “I would probably still be single if it wasn’t for you.”

“I am pretty great, aren’t I?” Roderick asked with laughter in his voice. 

Spencer laughed at that before feeling his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out to see that it was a reminder notification that the Cleveland Browns game started in half an hour.  _ Crap,  _ Spencer thought. He had completely forgotten that they were playing that day. In that moment, he found himself torn. He really wanted to go to the game, but he also didn’t want to just ditch Roderick. Spencer was having a nice time hanging out with his friend. Quickly thinking on his feet, he realized there was a sports bar and restaurant right down the street. Spencer asked Roderick, “Hey man, would you maybe want to go down the street and get something to eat? There’s a Browns game on in a bit that I want to catch.”

Roderick smiled at the suggestion and answered, “Yeah, that would be great.”

Spencer felt himself smile as well at Roderick’s answer. The two of them quickly paid for their sheet music, as well as Spencer paying for the vinyl for Alistair before they headed out to the sports bar. It was close enough for them to walk instead of having to take their cars. On their walk to the bar, Roderick asked, “They’re playing the Saints today, right?” 

Upon hearing that, Spencer looked at Roderick in surprise. Instead of answering Roderick’s question, he asked, “You like football?”

“Yeah, I watch it from time to time,” Roderick answered, “My dad actually had me play my freshmen year back in Chicago. I definitely prefer watching over playing though.”

“Wait, does that mean you’re a Bears fan?” Spencer asked with mock disgust in his voice. 

Roderick responded, “I am, but it’s mostly because I’m pretty sure my dad would kick me out of the house if I wasn’t.”

“Alright, I’ll let you get away with that,” Spencer said jokingly. 

However, Roderick then quickly added, “Also, the Bears are the best team in the NFL.”

“Nevermind, I take back my last statement. You’re insane,” Spencer said jokingly. 

Roderick, never one to miss a beat, quipped back, “This coming from a Browns fan.”

“Yeah, because the Browns are awesome,” Spencer argued, rather unconvinced. 

After hearing that, Roderick smirked and said sarcastically, “Yeah, them and they’re two to seven season.”

“Ouch,” Spencer responded jokingly. 

Roderick simply shrugged and said, “Hey, truth hurts.”

Spencer chuckled at that as the two walked into the bar, Roderick holding the door open for Spencer and him offering a quick thank you. It was surprisingly empty considering it was game day, so the two boys got a table pretty quickly. When they looked at the menu, they both agreed to just get a bunch of appetizers to share. While they waited for their food to arrive, Roderick asked, “So how are things with you and Alistair?”

_ Well, I’m screwed,  _ Spencer thought once he heard that question. He had been having a nice time hanging out with Roderick that he had actually forgotten about his relationship problems. And now that he was reminded of them, he wasn’t necessarily inclined to talk about them. Especially not with Roderick. Sure, Roderick was Spencer’s friend, but he was also Alistair’s friend. In Spencer’s mind, it wasn’t fair to put Roderick in an awkward spot. So after a long pause, Spencer just said, “Umm, it’s going good.” 

“Are you sure? Cause you hesitated for a second there,” Roderick questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

When Roderick said that, Spencer sighed. He should’ve known better than to pull one over on Roderick. He was too observant. Spencer responded, “You caught me.”

“So what’s going on? Are you guys having problems or something?” Roderick asked with concern in his voice. 

Spencer shrugged before confessing, “I don’t know if it’s problems necessarily, but it’s kind of awkward between us. I mean, we make out all the time, and that’s fun and all, but that’s all we really do. Him and I are really different too, and Alistair’s kind of quiet, so it’s kind of hard to start up conversations.”

“So wait, all you guys do is make out?” Roderick asked, “Do you guys even come up for air?”

“Only on rare occasions. We watch movies sometimes, but that’s really about it,” Spencer answered, “Even that gets awkward. I mean, last night I found out that he doesn’t like  _ The Shawshank Redemption. _ ”

Roderick looked slightly horrified and said, “Seriously? That’s like the best movie ever.”

“Right? He said it’s too depressing,” Spencer told his friend. 

Upon hearing that, Roderick rolled his eyes and said, “That’s the whole point, though! That’s what makes the ending so great!”

“Thank you! Finally someone gets it!” Spencer exclaimed. 

Roderick chuckled a little at that before turning serious once more and saying, “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks,” Spencer said before confessing, “I just don’t know what to do. I wanna try and fix it, but I don’t know how.”

“Maybe try to find some sort of common interest,” Roderick suggested, “I mean, I know you said you guys are pretty different, but there has to be something you guys have in common.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Spencer mumbled, not sure if he necessarily agreed with that. 

Roderick then said with humor in his voice, “Well whatever you do, you better not break up with him. I literally just set you two up by talking about how great you are.”

It was obvious by Roderick’s tone that he was joking, but there was a hint of seriousness to it. Almost as if it was a ‘if you hurt my best friend’ lecture. Spencer chuckled softly before saying, “Don’t worry, that’s not happening. I’ll figure something out.”

“You better,” Roderick responded. 

Eventually, their food arrived and the two of them enjoyed their appetizers while watching the game that the Browns quickly took the lead in. Throughout the game, the two of them talked about various things: football experiences, first concerts, playing guitars, Rachel Berry’s terrible TV show. That conversation eventually led to them talking about how they got recruited to the glee club. When Roderick explained how Rachel convinced him to join, Spencer was more than a little shocked.

“So wait, the entire original glee club just cornered you in the library and talked you into auditioning?” Spencer questioned with disbelief. 

“Yep, apparently they heard my voice through the air docs and tracked me down to the library,” Roderick replied, “It was kind of terrifying to be honest. I thought they were gonna beat me up.”

“I would terrified too. The alumni are really cool separately, but all of them together are pretty much sensory overload,” Spencer said while laughing. 

Roderick laughed as well before asking, “What about you? What made you join?”

“Coach Evans sat me down and talked some sense into me. Finally convinced me to join,” Spencer explained, “Before that they sent Mr. Hummel to come talk to me, but that didn’t really work out too well. He thought that since we were both gay he could...I don’t know, relate to me or something.”

Roderick snorted from laughter at that and said, “That’s so dumb.”

“I know, right?” Spencer replied, laughing as well. 

Roderick then added, “By that logic, they should’ve just sent Brittany Pierce to recruit me.”

“What do you mean?” Spencer asked curiously. 

Once Spencer asked that, Roderick answered in a completely casual tone, “Her and I are both bi.”

Talk about getting hit with a Mac truck of information. That was the last thing Spencer expected to hear today, and it took him back a little. Out of surprise, Spencer asked Roderick, “Wait really?”

“Yeah,” Roderick said rather nonchalantly. 

Spencer blinked a few times after Roderick said that. More than anything, it was Roderick’s bluntness about the whole thing that surprised Spencer. Despite his cool guy persona, Spencer was actually a nervous wreck when he first came out. He had actually cried a little when he told his parents. Even though he was lucky enough to have loving and supportive parents, Spencer was still terrified when he told them. Roderick, on the other hand, let it come out like it was nothing. 

“That’s cool, man,” Spencer said before asking, “If you don’t mind me asking, why haven’t you said anything before?”

“It never came up, I guess,” Roderick answered, shrugging a little, “I’m definitely not ashamed of it. I’m just not big on talking about my personal life with people.”

“Yeah, I completely understand that, it took me a while to come out to people outside of my family” Spencer confessed. 

Roderick nodded, “Yeah, my parents know, but outside of them, you’re the first person I’ve told.”

“Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me,” Spencer told him with a smile. He knew first hand how scary it was to reveal that part of yourself to people, and felt honored that Roderick felt safe enough with Spencer to tell him. 

Roderick smiled back at him and said, “Thanks for listening.”

When Roderick said that, Spencer felt a warm feeling in his chest. He wasn’t quite sure what the feeling was, but it was a nice feeling. Until that point, he hadn’t really realized how nice Roderick’s smile was. However, Spencer quickly shook that thought out of his head by reminding himself that he had a boyfriend. 

Eventually, the game ended with the Browns winning, meaning that Spencer left the restaurant with a wide grin on his face. As the two boys walked back to there cars, Spencer teased Roderick by saying, “Still think the Bears are better than the Browns?”

Roderick rolled his eyes a little and said sarcastically, “Oh yeah, they win one game against one of the worst teams in the league.”

“A wins a win, my friend,” Spencer said smugly. 

Once again, Roderick rolled his eyes but still chuckled a little. When the boys eventually returned to their cars, Roderick said, “This was fun. We should do it again sometime.”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Spencer responded before asking, “Are you free to hang out next weekend?”

“Yeah, I am,” Roderick answered, “We can work out a plan this week.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you on Monday,” Spencer said as he got in his car. 

Roderick waved a little as he got in his car and said, “See you, man.”

When Spencer got in his car, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had a test from Alistair:  _ Hey, wanna catch a movie tonight?  _

Spencer looked at the clock and then looked over to Twenty One Pilots vinyl in the passenger's seat. It wasn’t too late, and it would be a good change to give Alistair the album. He quickly texted back,  _ Yeah, that sounds good.  _

After a quick text exchange deciding on what movie to see, Spencer quickly drove off to the movie theater. It was currently 4:25 and the movie started at five, so he didn’t have a lot of time. Luckily, the movie theater was only about ten minutes away. 

When Spencer parked his car, he wasn’t surprised to see that Alistair was already waiting outside for him. Alistair was really good at being on time for things, which is more than Spencer could say for himself. He quickly grabbed the vinyl album from his passenger seat before jumping out of his car and making his way over to his boyfriend. He walked over with a smile and greeted, “Hey there.”

“Hey babe,” Alistair responded, giving Spencer a quick kiss. 

Spencer happily accepted the kiss. Once they pulled away, Spencer told him, “I got something for you at the music store today.”

“What is it?” Alistair asked curiously. 

Spencer smiled as he held the vinyl up and said, “Ta da.”

When Alistair’s face lit up at the sight of the record, Spencer couldn’t help but smile. Alistair excitedly took the vinyl before pulling Spencer into a hug and saying, “This is amazing. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Spencer said, happily accepting the hug, “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it,” Alistair responded as he pulled away from the hug and asked, “How did you know?”

Before thinking twice about it, Spencer answered, “Well, I can’t take all the credit. Roderick actually helped me pick it out.”

“Oh really?” Alistair asked, smiling down at the record. 

Spencer nodded, “Yeah, we went to the music store today, and he told me that you would love it.”

“Man, Roderick’s awesome,” Alistair said. 

“Yeah, I know,” Spencer agreed, “He’s the best.”

After Spencer said that, Alistair then said, “I’m gonna go put this on my car. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Spencer responded.

As Alistair jogged over to his car, an idea popped into Spencer’s mind; an idea that just might help him get rid of the awkwardness between him and Alistair. The quick conversation in between the two of them about Roderick made Spencer realize something. Him and Alistair might not have much in common, but one of the things they did was Roderick. They were both close friends with Roderick, and both loved hanging out with Roderick. And that made him the perfect buffer. 


	2. Chapter Two: Duran Duran and Barbie Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is finally up! I’m so sorry it took so long to update. Online school has kind of been kicking my ass, so I haven’t had a lot of time to update. Hopefully since I’m on winter break right now, I’ll have more time to update. Thank you all for being so patient with me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Be sure to leave kudos and comment if you do! Thanks for reading! :)

It was just a normal Friday in glee club for Roderick. Jane, Kitty, and himself were the first to arrive in the choir room, so they were having a conversation about their annoying English teacher. It was the end of “One Man (or Woman) Band” week, and it was finally his turn to perform. He had been working on his Temptations mashup all week, with the help of Spencer, and he was really excited to finally perform it. 

Speaking of the devil, Spencer walked in only a short while after Roderick had. He said hi to both of the girls before turning to Roderick and saying, “Hey Rod, you ready for your performance?”

“You bet,” Roderick answered before asking, “how about you?”

“100 percent, I’m gonna rock the joint,” Spencer answered in a slightly cocky tone with his signature smirk. 

Roderick rolled his eyes good naturedly and chuckled a little in response. Spencer then asked, “Hey after rehearsal, Alistair and I were gonna grab a pizza. Would you wanna tag along?”

When Spencer asked this, Roderick raised an eyebrow a little in confusion. Sure, it’d be really cool to hang out with both of his friends, but at the same time, he’d feel weird tagging along on their date. He told Spencer, “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.”

“Trust me, you won’t be a third wheel,” Spencer reassured him, “I talked to Alistair about it, he’d love for you to come with us.”

Hearing that made Roderick feel better about the whole thing, so he smiled and answered, “Yeah then, sounds like fun.”

“Awesome,” Spencer said with a smile as he sat down, “I’ll text Alistair, and let him know.”

“Where is he, by the way?” Roderick asked curiously. 

Spencer answered, “Oh he couldn’t make it to glee today. He’s got a meeting for the school paper.”

“Ah, gotcha,” Roderick responded, nodding his head a little. 

A few seconds after, both Ms. Berry and Mr. Hummel walked in and Ms. Berry announced cheerfully, “Alright everyone, let’s get this meeting started! Today, we’re wrapping up One Man (or Woman) Band week!”

Roderick, along with the rest of glee club, clapped at her announcement, before Mr. Hummel said, “Alright, we have two more people left to go. Spencer, Roderick, which one of you would like to go first?”

“I’ll go,” Spencer offered, raising his hand. 

“Awesome,” Mr. Hummel said in response, “The floor is all yours then.”

Mr. Hummel and Ms. Berry both sat down while Spencer took his place at the front of the room, facing the rest of the club. Once he was up their, Ms. Berry asked, “So Spencer, what band did you decide on?”

“I’m doing Bon Jovi,” Spence answered with a happy smile. 

Rachel then said, “Amazing! Whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” Spencer said before nodding towards the band, cueing them to start. 

The band played the opening to “It’s My Life”, and Spencer began singing at his cue. 

_ This ain't a song for the broken-hearted _

_ No silent prayer for the faith-departed _

When Spencer started to sing, Roderick couldn’t help but smile. They had spent all week practicing together to get their performances ready. Spencer had sounded great all week, but this was the best he had ever sounded. He really did sound amazing. Not to mention, his dancing had improved a fair amount as well. Spencer was now strutting and dancing around the choir room with all the confidence in the world. In fact, performing that song Spencer actually looked kind of...hot. 

That was a thought that Roderick didn’t let himself think for more than a millisecond because there was no way in hell that was okay thought to have. Spencer was one of his best friends, for Christ’s sake! On top of that, Spencer already has a boyfriend. And on top of that, that boyfriends just happened to be another one of Roderick’s best friends. The best thing to do was squish that thought now before it could grow into anything else. 

Unfortunately for Roderick though, his face apparently gave away his inner monologue because Kitty whispered to him sarcastically, “You might want to wipe your face. You’re drooling over Spencer pretty hard.”

“I don’t drool,” Roderick countered, which even he would admit was a pretty weak defense. 

After hearing that, Kitty immediately rolled her eyes and told him, “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

For the rest of Spencer’s performance, Roderick tried his best to keep his face neutral. And while he admitted didn’t have a great poker face, Roderick thought he did a pretty good job. Once Spencer had hit the last note, the rest of the glee club, along with Mr. Hummel and Ms. Berry, cheered and clapped for him. 

Mr. Hummel then told Spencer, “Wow Spencer, great job! You really nailed the song, made it your own, sounded great. It was a very impressive performance.”

“And your dancing has improved a lot as well. I think this is your best performance so far,” Ms. Berry added. 

Spencer smiled at the praise and said, “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

Once Spencer sat back down, Roderick gave him a quick high five and said, “Great job, man!”

“Thanks, dude,” Spencer replied, smiling back at Roderick. And Roderick most definitely  _ didn’t  _ swoon a little at the sight of Spencer smiling at him. 

_ God, what is wrong with me today?  _ Roderick thought to himself. This wasn’t normally like him. Sure, he did have crushes before, even had a girlfriend last year before he moved, but he was neve like  _ this.  _ He never fawned over one of his friends before, especially not over friends that had boyfriends. He wasn’t even sure where these thoughts had come from. Sure, Spencer was good looking, but Roderick had never thought about Spencer in that way. At first he just thought about Spencer as a dick. Then that changed, and Roderick thought about Spencer as his friend. In all that time, never once did he think of Spencer as a crush. He didn’t know what had changed, all he knew was that he didn’t like it. 

Roderick was eventually snapped out of his thoughts by Ms. Berry saying cheerfully, “Alright, last but not least is Roderick! The floor is yours whenever you’re ready!”

Grateful for the distraction from his thoughts, Roderick happily bounced up from his chair and made his way to the front of the room. Once he was up there, Mr. Hummel asked him, “So what band did you pick, Roderick?”

“Oh, I went with the Temptations,” Roderick answered. 

Mr. Hummel’s face lit up a little at that, which made Roderick think that maybe he had some personal connection to the band. Mr. Hummel said, “Going with the classics, great choice! Whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks,” Roderick responded before turning to the band and cueing them in. Once the band played the intro, Roderick began to sing the first song of his mashup. 

_ I know you wanna leave me _

_ But I refuse to let you go _

_ If I have to beg and plead for your sympathy _

_ I don't mind, 'cause you mean that much to me _

_ Ain't too proud to beg and you know it (sweet darlin') _

_ Please don't leave me girl (don't you go) _

_ Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby _

_ Please don't leave me, girl (don't you go) _

As the music transitioned into the next song, Roderick did a quick spin. While he definitely wasn’t the best dancer, he had mastered the art of strutting around the stage and doing basic choreography in a way that makes him look pretty cool. 

_ I _

_ Can turn the gray sky blue _

_ I can make it rain, whenever I want it to, oh I _

_ I can build a castle from a single grain of sand _

_ I can make a ship sail, on dry land tell 'em yeah _

_ But my life is incomplete and I'm so blue _

_ 'Cause I can't get next to you _

_ I can't get next to you, babe (next to you) _

_ I can't get next to you (I just can't get next you) _

_ I can't get next to you, babe _

_ I can't get next to you _

As he continued out with his mashup, he felt himself growing more and more confident. He always felt the most confident when he was singing. Roderick used to think that music was his only friend, and the only friend that he would ever need. And while music certainly wasn’t his only friend anymore, it was definitely a friend that he knew he could always rely on. Therefore, he never worried too much whenever he sang, and instead rode this wave of confidence all the way to the end of the mashup. 

_ Now I've gotta love so deep, in the pit of my heart _

_ And each day it grows more and more _

_ I'm not ashamed to come, and plead to you baby _

_ If pleadin' keeps you from, walkin' out that door _

_ Ain't too proud to beg and you know it (sweet darlin') _

_ Please don't leave me girl (don't you go) _

_ Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby _

_ Please don't leave me girl (don't you go) _

_ Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby (sweet darling') _

_ Unhappy am I with all the powers I possess _

_ 'Cause girl you're the key to my happiness _

_ And I _

_ Can't get next to you _

Once he had finished, the entire glee club started to cheer for him. Spencer even gave Roderick a standing ovation. Ms. Berry said to him with a wide smile, “Roderick, that was great!”

“It was incredible! You picked the perfect songs to mashup, and they suited your voice amazingly! You should be very proud of yourself,” Mr. Hummel added. 

Roderick chuckled a little awkwardly, still not used to receiving compliments, before saying, “Thank you.”

When Roderick returned to his seat, Spencer patted him on the shoulder and said, “Dude! That was awesome!”

“Thanks,” Roderick responded shyly, he was never good at receiving compliments, but he was trying to get better at not immediately deflecting them. 

Spencer, who was still smiling, said, “Seriously, you killed it.”

Before Roderick had the chance to respond, Ms. Berry began to speak to the whole club, “Thank you all so much for your wonderful performances this week! You guys all did a great job, and this was a great way to end the week! In fact, I think now’s the perfect time to introduce next week’s lesson.”

She looked over to Mr. Hummel when she said that who quickly picked up where she left off by saying, “Yeah, so next week we’re gonna challenge all of you to push your musical boundaries. Each of you is going to perform a song outside of your normal genre of music. We’re hoping that this will help expand your musical horizons, and appreciate all different styles.”

When Roderick heard this, he instantly got excited. He loved being able to explore the musical spectrum, and try out all different genres. It was one of his favorite things about music. Almost instantly, he started brainstorming potential songs for him to do. Country maybe?

Ms. Berry then said, “Okay, we have a few minutes left, but since this week has been so productive I think I’ll let you guys go a little early and enjoy your Friday night.”

“Yes, go out and enjoy your weekend,” Mr. Hummel added. 

The glee club took that as their cue to gather up their stuff to head out. As each of them left, they thanked both Mr. Hummel and Ms. Berry. After saying goodbye to the rest of the club, Spencer and Roderick made their way out to the parking lot. As they walked, Roderick asked Spencer, “So what are you thinking about doing for next week’s assignment?”

“Okay, so here me out,” Spencer answered in a mock-serious voice, “What if, I do a mashup of ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘Sexy and I Know It’?” 

The tone in Spencer’s voice made it obvious that he was joking, so Roderick decided to play along with it by saying, “You know what? I say go for it.”

“You think so?” Spencer asked, still going along with the joke. 

“Totally, I mean, I was already gonna kick your butt anyway,” Roderick stated, “That’s just gonna make it easier on me.”

Spencer rolled his eyes good-naturedly before saying, “Please, I could sing ‘Barbie Girl’, and still blow you out of the water.”

“Oh god, please don’t do that,” Roderick begged in a joking manner. 

Spencer smirked sarcastically and asked, “Why, you worried I’d outshine you with that?”

“It’s not so much that, and more so that song makes me want to bash my head into the wall,” Roderick quipped back. 

Spencer laughed at that before saying, “Fair enough.”

They had made it to the parking lot by this point, and Spencer offered to Roderick, “If you want, I can give you a ride to the pizza place, and then drop you off back here before heading home. Save you some gas.”

“That would be great, actually. Thanks,” Roderick said before asking, “Shouldn’t we wait for Alistair, though?”

“Oh, he’s gonna meet us there,” Spencer explained. 

Although Roderick thought this was weird, even weirder than the fact that Spencer had asked him to tag along on his date, he didn’t say anything. It wasn’t his place to say. Instead, Roderick just said, “Okay, got it.”

The two of them got in the car, and headed towards the pizza place. On the way there, Spencer said to Roderick, “Feel free to hook up your phone to the speaker, you get control over the music.”

“You sure?” Roderick asked, although he was already pulling his phone out. 

“Yeah, definitely,” Spencer answered, “Just don’t play any trash.”

An evil smirk spread across Roderick’s face as he hooked his phone up to the Bluetooth speaker, and pulled up Spotify. He was thinking about the one conversation him and Spencer had at the music store, so he knew the perfect song to play to annoy him. That’s why Roderick couldn’t hold back his laughter when SPencer sighed loudly at the sound of Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’ blasting through the speakers. 

“Seriously?” Spencer asked in an over dramatic tone. 

“What?” Roderick asked, trying to sound serious, but not able to stop himself from laughing entirely, “I thought this was your favorite song.”

Spencer rolled his eyes good-naturedly and said, “I’m warning you, if you don’t turn that off, I’m gonna drive this car into a ditch.”

This prompted Roderick to turn the volume up and jam out to the chorus. 

_ In touch with the ground _

_ I'm on the hunt I'm after you _

_ Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd _

_ And I'm hungry like the wolf _

_ Straddle the line in discord and rhyme _

_ I'm on the hunt I'm after you _

_ Mouth is alive, with juices like wine _

_ And I'm hungry like the wolf _

Thankfully, instead of driving the car into a ditch, Spencer burst into a fit of laughter and told Roderick, “You’re an idiot.”

“But you love me anyway,” Roderick quipped sarcastically. 

“If you say so,” Spencer replied, “Either way, I’m controlling the music next time.”

“Oh god, please tell me that doesn’t mean ‘Barbie Girl’ is gonna be on repeat,” Roderick said in mock horror. 

Spencer only smirked maliciously and said, “You’re just gonna have to wait and see.”

When Spencer finished that sentence, he added a little wink to the end. That most definitely  _ did not  _ make Roderick’s stomach flip. 

Once they got to the pizza place, Spencer checked his phone to see a text from Alistair that he had gotten there early, and had gotten a table for the three of them. So, Roderick and Spencer went inside and saw Alistair at the booth waiting for them. Once they walked over, Spencer immediately slid into the booth next to Alistair, gave him a quick kiss, and said, “Hey babe.”

“Hey there,” Alistair said, happily reciprocating Spencer’s kiss. As Roderick sat down across from them, Alistair smiled at him and greeted him with a friendly, “He Roderick.”

“Hey man, how’s it going?” Roderick responded with a smile as well. 

“Pretty good,” Alistair answered before asking, “How was glee club today? Both of you performed, right?”

“We did, Spencer did a great job. He really killed it,” Roderick told Alistair. 

“That’s great,” Alistair said to his boyfriend, “You did Bon Jovi, right?”

“Yeah, I did,” Spencer answered before saying, “I didn’t have anything on Roderick, though. He did a Temptations mashup, and it was awesome.”

Roderick felt himself blush at that, and he had to remind himself and that it was because he was bad at accepting compliments, and  _ not  _ because it was Spencer giving him the compliment. 

Alistair smiled at that and said, “That’s great. I’m bummed I missed you guys performance, though.”

“Ahh, it’s cool,” Spencer told him, “There’s always next week.”

“Although I think you might actually want to skip next week,” Roderick warned in a mock serious tone, “Your boyfriend over here is planning on mashing up ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘Sexy and I Know It’.”

Alistair laughed a little at that before asking, “Wait, what?”

“They want us to pick songs that aren’t our usual style. I think it’s a genius idea,” Spencer tried to defend, although his tone of voice made it obvious that he was joking.

Alistair laughed at that before saying, “I’m not so sure about that.”

Their waitress came by a short while afterwards, and the three of them ordered two large pizzas to split. The rest of the night went pretty well. Roderick remembered how Spencer had told him that things had been kind of awkward with him and Alistair, but Roderick didn’t really get those vibes tonight. The three of them were joking around and laughing, and the conversation flowed pretty naturally. They talked about everything from music, to football, to books. The one downside was that Roderick felt a little, unpleasant pang in his chest whenever Spencer put his arm around Alistair or kissed him. Roderick wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it was way too close to jealousy for Roderick’s comfort. After all, Spencer was his friend, and Alistair was his friend. They two of them were in a happy relationship, and seemed to have gotten past their little bump in the road. Roderick was happy for both of them. 

Once they were finished eating, they paid for their food and headed out to the parking lot. Spencer and Alistair shared one more, long, kiss before pulling away and Spencer saying, “I’ll call you tonight.”

“Sounds good, I’ll talk to you later,” Alistair responded before turning his attention to Roderick and saying, “I’ll see ya, Roderick.”

“See ya, man,” Roderick responded from where he was leaning against Spencer’s car before Alistair hopped in his car and Roderick and Spencer both got in Spencer’s car. 

On the car ride back, Spencer said to Roderick, “Tonight was really fun. Thanks for coming with me.”

“Of course, thanks for inviting me,” Roderick responded, “It was nice hanging out with you and Alistair.”

Whether he was saying that for Spencer or for himself, Roderick wasn’t sure. Still, Spencer was smiling which made Roderick smile a little was well. Once they were pulled into the McKinley parking lot and Spencer had parked his car next to Roderick’s, Spencer asked Roderick, “Hey so the Bears are playing the Jaguars on Sunday. Would you want to come over and watch it?”

Roderick’s smile got a little bit wider at that and answered, “Yeah, that’d be great.”

“I’ll see you Sunday then,” Spencer said, a smile still on his face. 

“See you on Sunday,” Roderick responded before getting out of the car, and walking over to his, feeling a little bit lighter on his feet than he had earlier. 

He then got in his car, but before he switched from park to drive, he heard Spencer’s voice yell, “Yo, Roderick!”

Roderik looked out his window to see that Spencer had both of his front windows rolled down. Roderick then started laughing and rolled down his driver’s window and yelled out of it, “What is it, Porter?”

An evil smirk spread across Spencer’s face as he pressed something on his phone which caused ‘Barbie Girl’ to blast at full volume through his car speakers. Roderick groaned loudly at the sound, as it could hardly be called music, while Spencer started fist bumping furiously as if it was the best song he ever heard in his life. Roderick then yelled out his window to his friend, “You’re an idiot!”

“You have no taste!” Spencer yelled back. 

Roderick rolled his eyes and continued laughing before yelling out his window, “Goodbye!” 

“See you on Sunday!” Spencer replied, rolling up his window. 

Roderick rolled his window up as well, but didn’t pull away just yet. He didn’t even pull away until after Spencer did. As he drove home, he found himself thinking about going over to Spencer’s on Sunday for the game. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself looking forward to it. And the only reason he was looking forward to it was because he was excited about having a friend to watch the game in, and not because he might have a small crush on Spencer. 

At least that’s what Roderick told himself in hopes of it being true. 


	3. Chapter Three: My Eyes Adored You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Three is finally up! I reposted it with a few little tweaks. Thank you all for being patient with me as I got this chapter up. We only have two chapters left, and I’m so excited to write them. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Be sure to leave kudos and comment if you do. Thanks for reading! :)

Spencer always looked forward to Sundays because it meant it was time for Sunday night football. Every Sunday brought a new, exciting game for Spencer to enjoy. When he was a kid, him and his dad made a whole event out of Sunday night football. The two of them would spend every Sunday on the couch, watching every football game that was on TV. It was a sacred tradition for both of them, one that they carried one even when Spencer became a teenager, the age where many teenagers thought they were too good for their parents. Even during Spencer’s high school years and his coming out, him and his dad were always incredibly close, and Spencer was extremely grateful for that. 

Although he and his dad spent as many Sundays together as possible, Mr. Porter’s job as real estate agent meant he sometimes had to work on weekends showing off houses. Mr. Porter always felt guilty when he had to miss Sunday night football, but Spencer always ressaured his dad that he understood. 

This particular Sunday happened to be one of the Sundays his dad was hosting an open house at a new property. Although Spencer was bummed out that his dad had to work, he was still looking forward to having Roderick over for Sunday night football. It was still a few hours before the game was gonna start, so Spencer was passing time by setting up his fantasy football lineup in his room with Bruce Springsteen playing over his speaker. There was a knock on his bedroom door and Spencer called to whoever it was, “Come in.”

The door opened and his dad walked through with a kind smile and said, “Hey Spence.”

“Hey dad,” Spencer responded, “What’s up?”

“I’m heading out in a little bit, I just wanted to say bye before I head out,” his dad answered, “I’m sorry I’m gonna miss game day.”

Spencer reassured his dad, “It’s totally fine, dad. I get it. I’m actually having someone over to watch the Bears game later.”

“Oh, Alistair’s coming over to watch the game?” His dad asked, naturally assuming that the someone coming over was his son’s boyfriend.

Spencer shook his head, “Nah, Alistair’s not really a big football guy. It’s actually my friend Roderick.”

“Roderick, huh?” His dad asked curiously, “I’m guessing he’s a Bears fan then?”

“Yeah, he is. He transferred here from Chicago this year,” Spencer answered, making sure to defend Roderick being a Bears fan. 

His dad nodded at that and said, “Okay, he gets a pass then.”

Spencer chuckled a little at that before his dad saying, “Okay, well I’ve got to head out now. I should be some around six. Have fun with Roderick.”

“I will, thanks dad. See ya,” Spencer responded. 

His dad waved bye as he headed out the door and said, “See ya, bud.”

Once Spencer was finished setting his lineup, it was a little past 1:30. Roderick wasn’t coming over until 2:30, as the game started at three, so Spencer still had some time to kill. He decided to start looking for songs to do in glee club. It had to be something outside of his normal genre, which sadly meant no rock and roll. He quickly ruled out pop music considering the very sound of it makes his ears bleed. Country would be a solid option, but he figured that most other members of the glee club would take that route since none of them were country people. After scrolling through Spotify for a bit, an idea popped into his head. He remembered last week Roderick was considering doing something by the Four Seasons. Spencer figured that Four Seasons. Yeah, they did do rock music, but they were much more soft rock than the typical heavy rock stuff Spencer usually did. Plus, he could pick one of their love songs as he normally didn’t do love songs. Once he typed in Four Seasons into Spotify and started listening to some of their songs, it didn’t take long for him to pick one. Something about the song “My Eyes Adored You” stuck out to him. It just felt like the right choice. 

Afterwards, it was pretty close to 2:30, so Spencer decided to head downstairs to grab some snacks for him and Roderick. He began to raid his pantries for every kind of chip and snack food they had, and his mom told him jokingly from where she was reading a book in the conjoined family room, “Please don’t tell me you’re playing on eating all of that yourself. I don’t want you puking your guts out.”

“No need to worry about that. I’m having a friend come over, so I figured it was only courteous to feed him something,” Spencer explained as he poured a bag of chips and a bag of popcorn into separate bowls. 

“Fair enough,” his mom replied before asking, “Who’s this friend of yours?”

“His name’s Roderick. He’s in glee club with me,” Spencer answered, “He’s coming over to watch a game.”

His mom smiled at that and said, “Well, that’s very nice. I didn’t think the day would come where you’d watch Sunday football with anyone other than your dad.”

When his mom said this, Spencer figured she had a pretty good point. Sunday night football was kind of a sacred tradition with him and his dad. He had never watched Sunday football with anyone besides his dad, not even his friends on the football team. The fact that he was sharing this tradition with Roderick was a pretty big deal, but it didn’t really freak him out. In fact, it made him happy to be able to share something special to him with his friends. It was something he trusted Roderick with in a way that he wouldn’t really trust other people with, not even Alistair. 

Spencer was planning on setting up all the snacks in his basement before Roderick arrived, but the doorbell rang before he got the chance. Of course, when Spencer went over and answered the door, Roderick was standing there in one of his signature shirts and with his kind smile. Noticeably absent though, were his headphones. Roderick wore his headphones almost everywhere, so much so to the point where seeing him without them took Spencer back a little. Still, Spencer was socially conscious enough not to say something about that. Instead, Spencer smiled back at Roderick, held his hand out, and greeted, “Hey, how’s it going man?”

“Pretty good, how about you?” Roderick responded, taking Spencer’s hand and doing a bro hug. 

Spencer answered, “Not too bad. I’ll grab us some snacks for us, and then we can head down to the basement for the game.”

“Here, I can help you,” Roderick said as he and Spencer walked into the kitchen. 

When the two boys walked into the kitchen, Spencer’s mom walked in with a warm-motherly smile and said to Roderick, “Hi there, I’m Spencer’s mom.”

“Hi, I’m Roderick,” Roderick greeted politely as he offered Spencer’s mom his hand, “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Porter.”

Mrs. Porter happily shook Roderick’s hand, and Spencer could tell by her face that she was pleasantly surprised by Roderick’s manners. Most of the football guys that Spencer had around the house were, admittedly, somewhat obnoxious and rude. It was no surprise to Spencer that she saw Roderick as a nice change of pace. Mrs. Porter said to Roderick, “It’s nice to meet you, too. Spencer told me that you and him are in glee club together. Are you on the football team too?”

“No, just glee club. I’m much more of a spectator when it comes to football,” Roderick answered with a small laugh at the end.

Mrs. Porter laughed a little at that as well and said jokingly, “Smart boy, less injuries that way.”

“Exactly,” Roderick responded. 

Spencer’s mom then said, “Well, I won’t hold you guys up any longer. Go enjoy the game.”

“Thanks mom,” Spencer replied as he and Roderick began to carry their snacks and sodas down to the basement. 

As they walked down the stairs, Roderick said to Spencer, “Your mom’s really nice.”

“Yeah, she’s great,” Spencer agreed before asking sarcastically, “So, you ready to watch your team lose?”

“Please, they’re playing the Jaguars. The bears have got this in the bag,” Roderick responded. 

At this point, they had reached the bottom of the basement stares and were getting situated on the couch when Spencer smirked and asked, “You willing to bet on it?”

“Definitely,” Roderick answered in full confidence, “What’s your wager?”

Spencer paused for a moment to come up with a good offer before saying, “Twenty bucks. We’ve got a deal?”

“Deal,” Roderick said without hesitation, shaking Spencer’s hand that he offered him. 

Once Roderick did that, Spencer said to him in his signature dry humor, “You seem pretty confident.”

“I told you, I’m a bold guy,” Roderick responded, not missing a beat. 

Spencer quipped back to him, “A bold guy that’s gonna lose twenty bucks by the end of this game.”

As it turns out though, Spencer would have to eat his words because by the time halftime rolled around, the Bears were up by three touchdowns while the Jaguars were sporting a score of zero. Once the first half was up, Spencer reluctantly looked over to Roderick who was sporting a cocky look and asked, “What was that again about me losing twenty bucks?”

“Can I give you the money now just to end my suffering?” Spencer asked. 

Roderick shook his head and said sarcastically, “No, no, there’s still an entire half left. There’s always a chance for the Jags to catch up.”

Knowing there was a very slim chance of that happening, Spencer threw a pillow at Roderick, causing them both to laugh loudly. Once their laughter subsided a little, Roderick asked, “I meant to ask earlier, how are things with Alistair?”

“It’s going good,” Spencer answered, “I feel like we’re on a good track right now.”

That statement was only partly true, but Spencer didn’t feel the need to tell Roderick that. That conversation with his mom earlier was still stuck in his head. About how Rodrick was the first person Spencer ever spent Sunday night football with besides his dad. The fact that Spencer was willing to share it with Roderick, but not his boyfriend was sending warning flags up in his head. Granted, Alistair wasn’t a football guy, he found sports boring, but even if he was, Spencer wasn’t sure that he would feel comfortable to share it with Alistair. 

Still, this past Friday gave him hope about his future with Alistair. It was the best date the two of them had ever had. It was the first time they didn’t have to turn on a movie to drown out the awkward silence. It was the first time they were able to have a conversation that lasted more than five minutes. In Spencer’s mind, it just went to show that he was right about Roderick being a good buffer. Spencer figured that if Roderick could tag along on a few more dates, it would be enough to break the ice and Alistair and Spencer would be good on their own after that. Still, he felt a little guilty about bringing Roderick along, almost like he was using him to fix his relationship. 

Rodrick smiled slightly at Spencer’s answer and said, “That’s great. I’m glad you guys were able to work things out.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Spencer responded, before saying, “To be honest though, I’m really worried screwing things up. It’s my first real relationship, I don’t want to completely blow it.”

That was the first time Spencer had ever confessed that to anyone. He wasn’t really one to talk about his fears and worries, opting instead to just put on a brave face. He wasn’t quite sure why he was telling Roderick this, but for some reason he felt safe enough to tell him all of this. 

Roderick nodded at that and said, “Yeah, I get that.”

“You do?” Spencer asked curiously. 

“Yeah, I do. I had a girlfriend back in Chicago, and I was kind of in the same boat,” Roderick explained, “Her and I were really different. She was a lot more outgoing than I was. I know opposites are suppose to attract, but I honestly can’t think of one thing we had in common. It kind of felt like I was dating a stranger. I was always scared of...messing up somehow. I was always worried I’d do something wrong, and wreck the whole relationship. I spent so much time trying to make everything perfect between us, fix any problem we had. I was so anxious all the time about your relationship.”

Spencer nodded, as it sounded way too familiar to his situation with Alistair, before asking, “How did you deal with that?”

“I ended up breaking it off,” Roderick answered honestly, “I realized that it wasn’t worth it to be so anxious all the time when we were making no progress with each other. I figured that if I was with the right person, it wouldn’t be so anxiety-inducing. It wouldn’t feel like I was with a stranger whenever I’m with them.”

When Roderick said that, Spencer felt his heart stop. Was Rodrick suggesting that he break up with Alistair? Spencer didn’t really want to do that. Sure, their relationship wasn't perfect, but it wasn’t like they were fighting every time they saw each other. Hell, they’ve never even had an argument. Still, Roderick was making a lot of sense. A little too much sense for Spencer’s taste. He couldn’t help but ask his friend, “Do you think you made the right choice?”

“Yeah, I do. I mean, She didn’t do anything wrong. She’s honestly a really good person. We just weren’t right for each other, and it wasn’t fair for either of us to stay in that relationship when it wasn’t a good one for us to be in,” Roderick told him. 

Spencer nodded slowly at that. Roderick must have caught on to Spencer’s train of thought because he quickly added, “Everyone’s situation is different though, so take that with a grain of salt. You said you and Alistair are doing good right now. I’m sure things are gonna go great for you guys.”

“Thanks man,” Spencer said, offering him a smile. 

Roderick smiled back at him, and that was the first time Spencer noticed how nice Roderick’s smile was. It was warm and kind, something that fitted Roderick perfectly. Roderick said to him, “No problem, man.”

“No seriously, thank you. I don’t usually like talking about this kind of stuff,” Spencer admitted. 

Spencer realized how nice it was to have a conversation like this. He was something who was rather guarded with his emotions, not really trusting a lot of people to talk about it with. But for some reason, it was different with Roderick. He trusted Roderick, and trust was something that went a long way with Spencer. 

Roderick hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you mind if I ask why?”

“This is gonna sound dumb, but I’m scared of coming off as weak,” Spencer confessed, “I’ve always felt this need to be tougher than everyone else, stronger than everyone. I never want to let my guard down or show any signs of weakness. It’s scary for me to open up to someone and see more than Mr. Tough Guy. I’m scared of the judgment that comes with it.”

Spencer sighed after that, thinking he had revealed too much, before saying, “Sorry, I know that’s stupid.”

“No, it isn’t,” Roderick reassured him, “I’d never judge you for that. Thank you for telling me.”

When Roderick said that, Spencer smiled again, even wider than before. He had never told anyone that before, and telling Rodrick made him feel ten tons lighter. The look on Roderick’s face was free of any judgment, and let Spencer know that Roderick understood what he meant. 

“Thank you for listening,” Spencer said before asking, “Do you mind if I ask you something kind of private?”

“Of course, ask away,” Roderick answered. 

Spencer paused for a moment before asking, “Why do you wear those headphones all the time?”

Roderick sighed a little before answering, “They’re kind of like a security blanket, I guess. Big groups are hard for me to deal with sometimes. It kind of gets my anxiety worked up. Headphones are a good way to help cancel out all the noise. It’s a nice distraction from everything.”

When Roderick said that, Spencer nodded in understanding. While he couldn’t necessarily relate to being anxious in large groups, he could definitely relate to having music as an escape. Even before joining glee club, listening to music is what helped him unwind at the end of a really stressful day. Admittedly, he was a little surprised to find out that Roderick struggled with anxiety. Sure, Roderick was quiet, but always sported a calm persona. Plus, Roderick was always comedic and confident in his conversations with Spencer that he never suspected anything. Spencer then asked, “How long have you been dealing with that?”

“A couple of years, I guess. It’s gotten a lot better recently, though. It was a little rough when I first moved out here, but I was able to find a good therapist and that’s really helped me,” Roderick answered. 

“That’s great, man,” Spencer told him with a smile, “Thanks for telling me.”

Roderick smiled back and said, “Thanks for listening.”

Eventually, the game came back on and in the end, the Bears ended up crushing the Jaguars 42 to 6. Roderick cheered in victory while Spencer begrudgingly handed the other boy a twenty dollar bill with the warning, “You better not blow it on anything stupid.”

“I’m gonna use it to buy the complete Duran Duran songbook,” Roderick said jokingly. 

Spencer laughed at that and joked back, “Okay no, I want my money back.”

“No way, a deal’s a deal, Porter,” Roderick responded, jokingly throwing the pillow from earlier at him. 

In retaliation, Spencer wacked Roderick with the pillow, which prompted Roderick to pick up another pillow and wack Spencer with it in self defense. This soon progressed into a full on pillow fight with the two boys running around Spencer’s basement and smacking each other with pillows and laughing hysterically. At one point, Spencer declared, “Strike first! Strike hard! No mercy!”

“Seriously, dude?” Roderick asked while laughing and trying to dodge Spencer’s attacks, “You’re gonna quote the Karate Kid and you chose Cobra Kai?”

“Of course, Cobra Kai is badass,” Spencer answered. 

After he said that though, Roderick got a few good hits in and yelled, “Wax on, wax off!”

The two of them continued their wannabe karate kid fight for a little bit longer before both of them collapsed on the ground laughing and catching their breaths. Eventually, there was a knock on the basement door. Assuming it was his dad home from work, Spencer called, “Come down.”

Sure enough, Spencer’s dad came walking down the stairs while saying, “Hey bud, how was the game? Is your friend still here?”

Once Spencer’s dad had made it to the bottom of the stairs, Roderick stood up from where he was laying on the ground and greeted Spencer’s dad by saying, “Hi, Mr. Porter. I’m Roderick.”

“Guess that answers my question,” Spencer’s dad said jokingly before introducing himself, “I’m Spencer’s dad. It’s good to meet you, kid.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Porter,” Roderick replied, shaking Mr. Porter’s hand. 

Mr. Porter then said to Roderick in a joking manner, “So Roderick, my son tells me you're a Bears fan.”

“In my defense, my dad will disown me if I cheered for any team besides the Bears,” Roderick responded with his hands raised in mock defense. 

Mr. Porter chuckled at that and said, “Okay, I’ll let you off the hook for that one. I’m guessing today was a good day for you then, huh? I was listening to the game in the car.”

“Oh yeah, it was great,” Roderick answered, “I even got twenty bucks out of it.”

When Roderick said this, Mr. Porter chuckled once more before looking at his son and asking, “Lose a bet, Spence?”

Spencer shrugged in response as he stood up and walked over to stand next to Roderick, “What can I say? I’m a gambling man. Not all my bets pay off.”

Both Roderick and Mr. Porter laughed at that before Spencer’s dad asked Roderick, “So Roderick, you on the football team with Spence?”

“No actually, we’re in glee club together,” Roderick explained politely, “I was linebacker at my school in Chicago, though.”

Mr. Porter nodded, clearly impressed, and said, “Wow, you sing and you play football. No wonder you and Spencer are friends.”

Roderick then looked over to his side and smiled at Spencer, and Spencer couldn’t help, but smile back. When he did, he felt a warm feeling blossom in his chest. His dad was definitely right about that. When Spencer first joined glee club, he honestly didn’t have that high hopes about becoming close to any of the other members. Looking at it now though, Spencer realized that him and Roderick were pretty much meant to be friends. That was also the second time today that Spencer realized how nice Roderick’s smile was, and it made his stomach flutter a little. 

However, the moment was shattered by the sound of someone’s phone buzzing. Roderick pulled his out of his pocket and checked something on it. He then shoved his phone back into his pocket and said, “I’m so sorry, but I have to head out now.”

Spencer then offered, “Here, I’ll walk you out.”

“Thanks man,” Roderick said before turning to Spencer’s dad and saying, “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Porter.”

“You too, kid,” Mr. Porter replied, “You’re welcome here anytime, especially on game day.”

“Thanks, Mr. Porter,” Roderick said before Spencer started to lead him up the stairs. 

As they walked over to Spencer’s front door, Roderick said, “This was fun, man. Thanks for having me over.”

“Of course, thanks for coming over,” Spencer replied, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya tomorrow,” Roderick said before walking out the front door. 

Once Roderick had left, Spencer went back down to the basement where his dad was watching a post-game show. Spencer sat down on the couch with his dad and asked, “So how was your open house?”

“It was pretty good. I definitely have a few buyers interested,” he answered before asking Spencer, “So how was your day? I heard you and Roderick laughing, it sounded like you guys were having fun.”

There was a small smirk on his dad’s face, and the suggestion was obvious in his voice. Spencer rolled his eyes a little and said, “Dad, it’s not like that. Roderick and I are just friends.”

“Hey, I’m just messing with you. I know you’ve got a boyfriend already,” his dad responded before asking, “Speaking of, how’s Alistair doing? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He’s doing good,” Spencer said, wanting to keep it vague as he actually hadn’t talked to Alistair since Friday.

His dad changed the subject soon after that, but Spencer could only give half of his attention. He was thinking about what his dad had just said, and what Roderick had said earlier about his ex girlfriend. Spencer wasn’t dumb, he definitely knew that these were warning signs. Still, Spencer wasn’t a quitter, he wasn’t one to just give up. It’s like Roderick said earlier, everyone’s situation was different, and things were on a good track with Spencer and Alistair. He felt confident that things were all gonna work out perfectly. 

In fact, he was so confident that he texted Alistair that night and asked Alistair if he wanted to go to the movies on Wednesday. Rachel has sent out the performance schedule for the upcoming week, and Spencer was scheduled to perform on Wednesday. He figured that it would be the perfect situation. He would sing a love song to Alistair in glee club, take him out on a date, get the romance going, it was gonna be great. However, when Alistair responded to his text saying he’d love to go to the movies, Spencer felt a weird, unexplainable sense of anxiety. He wasn’t sure what exactly about having a confirmed date with his boyfriend made him anxious, but he figured there was no harm in having some back up. Once he got a response from Alistair, he texted Roderick asking him if he wanted to join them on Wednesday. Once he got an answer from Roderick saying he’d be happy too, Spencer smiled, instantly feeling a lot better about Wednesday. 

Once that day finally rolled around, Spencer made sure to get to the choir room early. However, Mason and Madison had beat him to being the first one to arrive. When he walked in he greeted them with a smile, “Hey guys.”

“Oh, hey Spencer!” Mason said in his typical enthusiastic tone, “Are you excited to perform today?”

“Yeah, I am,” Spencer said before telling both of them, “You guys were great, yesterday.”

Both of the twins had performed, separately, yesterday. Madison had performed “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood while Mason performed “Best Song Ever” by One Direction. Even though Spencer hated both of those songs, he had to admit that the twins managed to sound great singing them. 

“Thank you so much, Spencer! I’m really excited to hear you perform. What song are you gonna do?” Madison asked with just as much enthusiasm as her brother. 

Spencer smirked a little and said, “You’re gonna have to wait and see.”

“Ah, come on. Just give us a hint,” Mason pleaded. 

Madison then gasped as if she had a brilliant realization and asked, “Omg, are you performing a song for Alistair?”

Spencer only laughed a little and shrugged in response. When Spencer had first joined glee club, the twins' excitement about everything annoyed him to no end, but now he found it amusing. 

Before the twins had the chance to respond, Alistair and Roderick walked in together. When they walked in, Spencer immediately noticed two things: the first was that Roderick had his headphones back around his neck and the second was that he was carrying his guitar case. Spencer figured that Roderick was going to be playing as part of his performance. Alistair immediately sat down next to Spencer on the left and greeted him by saying, “Hey Spencer.”

“Hey babe,” Spencer replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to Roderick and saying, “Hey Rod, what’s up?”

“How’s it going, man?” Roderick greeted.

“Pretty good,” Spencer said before asking, “Do you need a ride to the movies, today?”

“I actually meant to tell you, I have to go and talk to my gov teacher after glee club. It shouldn’t take too long, so I'll just meet you guys there,” Roderick explained. 

“Sounds good,” Spencer said, although he was slightly disappointed that Roderick couldn’t drive with them. 

Roderick then asked as he sat down in the chair right of Spencer, “By the way, what movie are we seeing?”

Alistair then answered, “ _ Age of Ultron. _ ”

Spencer nodded in agreement at that. He had let Alistair pick the movie, but was not all that excited about it. He wasn’t a huge fan of the more recent superhero movies, instead preferring older movies, the kind of stuff he grew up watching with his parents. 

“Yes, I’ve been dying to see that movie for weeks,” Roderick said excitedly. 

Alistair responded, “Same, it’s gonna be awesome.”

When Spencer heard this, he was immediately relieved. Since Spencer knew how much Alistair was into comic stuff, he had tried his best to learn the basics of it, but there were way too many characters and storylines for him to really keep track. He figured that since Roderick was also into the comic stuff he could kind of be a translator of sorts. 

A short while after, Rachel and Kurt walked in, with Jane and Kitty trailing behind them. Once everyone was seated, Kurt announced, “Alright everyone, let’s get today’s performances started. Would anyone like to volunteer to go first?”

“I’ll go,” Roderick offered. 

“Perfect,” Rachel said, “The floor is yours whenever you're ready.”

“Thank you,” Roderick said as he took his guitar out of his case before walking to the front of the room. 

Once he got up there, He pulled up a stool and sat down before propping his guitar up on his knee and beginning to play. As soon as he started the song, Spencer was absolutely captivated. Roderick was singing “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton. 

_ Used to spend my nights out in a barroom _

_ Liquor was the only love I've known _

_ But you rescued me from reachin' for the bottom _

_ And brought me back from being too far gone _

Although Spencer didn’t normally listen to country music, this was one of his favorite songs. Plus, it suited Roderick’s voice perfectly. Roderick had the perfect raspiness in his voice for the song, and he sounded amazing and almost sexy singing it. 

_ You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey _

_ You're as sweet as strawberry wine _

_ You're as warm as a glass of brandy _

_ And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time _

Nope, not almost. Roderick sounded incredibly sexy singing this. The lyrics rolled off his tone with ease, and his fingers played the guitar with ease. Not only did he sound sexy, he actually looked kind of hot. Sure, Spencer never thought that Roderick was ugly, but this was the first time Spencer realized exactly how good looking Roderick really is. Which definitely isn’t a good thought to have when your boyfriend was sitting right next to you, so he quickly had to snap himself out of it. After all, Alistair was crazy hot too. Still, Spencer couldn’t help, but be mesmerized by Roderick’s performance. He was just that talented. 

_ I've looked for love in all the same old places _

_ Found the bottom of a bottle's always dry _

_ But when you poured out your heart I didn't waste it _

_ 'Cause there's nothing like your love to get me high _

_ You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey _

_ You're as sweet as strawberry wine _

_ You're as warm as a glass of brandy _

_ And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time _

It wasn’t until Roderick had finished the song and everyone began clapping for him, that Spencer was hit with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. It definitely wasn’t cool of him to be thinking about Roderick like this when he had a boyfriend. It also wasn’t cool to be thinking about his friend like that when Roderick definitely didn’t feel the same way. 

Despite that, Spencer couldn’t help but feel disappointed that the song was over. He wanted to hear the song again, wanted to hear Roderick play the guitar again, wanted to hear his smooth voice again. Spencer was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed that Roderick was returning to his seat. Once Roderick sat back down, Spencer told him quietly, “You were amazing.”

“Thanks man,” Roderick said nonchalantly. 

“Seriously,” Spencer said with so much sincerity that it scared him a little, “You were incredible.”

This statement seemed to resonate with Roderick more than the first because his cheeks became dusted with a light pink color, almost like he was blushing. And dammit, Roderick had no business looking as cute as he did when he blushed. Almost as if to prove something to himself, he gave Alistair a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Once again, Spencer was pulled out of his thoughts by Kurt saying, “Spencer, you’re up next! Whenever you’re ready.”

“Awesome, thanks,” Spencer said, grateful for the distraction from his thoughts. 

_ Okay, I can do this, _ Spencer thought to himself. All he had to do was get up there, and sing this song to Alistair, his boyfriend. That would definitely help him get out of his own head. The stool Roderick had been sitting on was still in the front of the room, so Spencer decided to sit on it for his performance as well. Spencer took a deep breath, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Once his hands stopped shaking a little, he nodded towards Brad the piano player to start playing and Spencer began to sing. 

_ My eyes adored you _

_ Though I never laid a hand on you _

_ My eyes adored you _

_ Like a million miles away from me _

_ You couldn't see how I adored you _

_ So close, so close and yet so far _

Spencer smiled softly during the first chorus as he serenaded his boyfriend. Despite most people’s perception of him, Spencer was a fan of doing romantic gestures. Nothing too over the top, but small stuff like this was right up his alley. 

_ Carried your books from school _

_ Playin' make believe you're married to me _

_ You were fifth grade, I was sixth when we came to be _

_ Walking home every day over Bonnicut Bridge and Bay _

_ 'Til we grew into the me and you _

_ Who went our separate ways _

He should have just kept looking at Alistair the whole time, but he instead let his eyes wander a little and they eventually landed on Roderick. And Spencer’s heart stopped. Roderick had that soft, sweet smile on his face that had caught his attention on Sunday, and looked incredibly handsome. As Spencer continued to stare at Roderick as he sang, his heartbeat picked up again at a much more rapid pace than before. This definitely wasn’t like Spencer, he never got nervous when he performed. He wasn’t sure what it was about looking at Roderick that made him nervous, all he knew was that he didn’t like it. 

_ Headed for city lights _

_ Climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame _

_ I worked my fingers to the bone _

_ Made myself a name _

_ Funny, I seem to find _

_ That no matter how the years unwind _

_ Still I reminisce about the girI miss _

_ And the love I left behind _

Spencer eventually managed to turn his gaze back to Alistair, but as much as he tried, he couldn’t stop himself from seeking glances at Roderick just to see his smile. 

_ My eyes adored you _

_ Though I never laid a hand on you _

_ My eyes adored you _

_ Like a million miles away from me _

_ You couldn't see how I adored you _

_ So close, so close and yet so far _

Once he finally finished the song, he let out a breath of relief while the rest of the glee club clapped for him. Rachel said to him, “Wow, Spencer that was fantastic! You definitely stepped outside your normal wheelhouse, and it really paid off.”

“Yeah, you sounded amazing, and you perfectly captured the emotion of the song. It was a very enjoyable performance,” Kurt added. 

Spencer smiled, more out of curiosity than anything, as he honestly felt like crap. He stood up from his chair and muttered out, “Thanks.”

Once he sat back down next to Alistair who smiled at him fondly and said, “That was amazing.”

“Thanks babe,” Spencer replied, accepting a quick kiss from his boyfriend. 

Spencer then turned to Roderick, who was smiling at him, held his fist up for a fist bump and said, “You killed it, man. That was awesome.”

“Thanks,” Spencer said, smiling back at Roderick and accepting the fist bump. 

Since Spencer and Roderick were the only two scheduled to perform that day, they had about thirty minutes left, so Rachel and Kurt decided to start planning out the set list for sectionals with the rest of the club. After a discussion, it was agreed that they would open with a solo with the rest of the glee club on backup vocals. Afterwards, it would transition into a group performance of “Chandelier” where the three girls in the club would serve as leads before they closed with “Come Sail Away”. The hardest thing to figure out was the solo, but then Roderick suggested “Take Me to Church”, and it fit perfectly. When he said that, Spencer knew immediately that Roderick should be the one singing that shoulder. His voice was practically made for that song. 

Once that was settled, Rachel announced that they would have auditions for the solo in at the end of next week before dismissing the club. Roderick began to walk out of the choir room as he said to Spencer and Alistair, “I’ll see you guys at theaters.” 

“See you there,” Alistair responded. 

After Roderick left the choir room, Spencer and Alistair began to walk to Spencer’s car in their usual awkward silence. In fact, neither of them spoke until they were out in the parking lot, and Alistair asked, “Do you think you’re gonna audition for the sectionals solo?”

Spencer shook his head, “Nah, I don’t think so. I mean, I love the song, but I don’t really think I could pull it off. How about you?”

“Well I mean, you did a great job today. I definitely think you could pull it off,” Alistair told him as they got in Spencer’s car. 

“Thanks, but Roderick definitely stole the show today,” Spencer responded, starting up the car, “He did amazing.”

“Yeah, he did. That song was perfect for him,” Alistair agreed. 

The car ride to the movies was also silent for the most part, but thankfully they had the radio to make it slightly more bearable. Once they got there, Roderick called them and told them that he was about five minutes away from them. Since Spencer had the tickets on his phone, he and Alistair decided to wait in the car for Roderick to arrive. As they sat in the car waiting for Roderick, Alistair asked Spencer, “So I was thinking maybe on Friday, you, Roderick, and I could go bowling?”

That definitely caught Spencer off guard a little. Up until this point, Spencer had been the one inviting Roderick to join him and Alistair, and while he hadn’t had a problem with it, Spencer wasn’t expecting Alistair to ask about Roderick tagging along. Part of Spencer felt really guilty about the fact that he had been unintentionally pushing this Roderick thing on his boyfriend. Another part of him was relieved to know that Alistair was onboard with the whole thing. That had to be a good sign. At least, that’s what Spencer tried to convince himself of. So Spencer answered, “Yeah, that sounds great.”

It wasn’t long after that Roderick got there, and Spencer and Alistair both got out of the car. Once they made their way over to Roderick, he smiled at the couple and said, “Hey guys, you ready to go?”

“I’m so ready,” Alistair answered happily. 

Spencer smiled and said, “Totally.”

After they all got settled in their seats, Spencer sitting in between Roderick and Alistair, he said to Roderick, “Hey, so I was thinking that you should audition for the ‘Take Me to Church’ solo.”

“Really? You think so?” Roderick asked, sounding surprised at Spencer’s suggestions. 

“Definitely,” Spencer answered, “You said Hoizer’s one of your favorite artists, right? It’s perfect for you.”

“Yeah, he’s awesome, but I’m not sure I could live up to that song,” Roderick claimed. 

Spencer shook his hand in disagreement, “Don’t sell yourself short. You kill it everytime you sing, especially today.”

“You killed it too,” Roderick told him before joking, “Although, I am disappointed that you didn’t actually go with ‘Barbie Girl’.”

Both Roderick and Spencer laughed at that, but Alistair asked in a confused tone, “Wait, what does that mean?”

When Alistair said that, Spencer then remembered that Alistair didn’t know about that joke between him and Roderick. Roderick answered Alistair’s question by saying, “It means your boyfriend's an idiot.”

“Excuse me, I am both a genius and a visionary,” Spencer responded in mock offense. 

Roderick rolled his eyes jokingly and said, “You keep telling yourself that, Spence. Maybe one day it’ll be true.”

Spencer laughed at that and the lights went down in the theater shortly after. As it turns out though, Spencer could barely focus on the movie since his mind was too busy doing a mile a minute. Talk about being caught in between a rock and a hard place. Only in this case, he was caught in between his feelings for his hot boyfriend and his potential feelings for his adorable best friend. Spencer had no clue about what to do in this situation. He didn’t want to break things off with Alistair, but he also didn’t want to possibly lead him on. He also didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Roderick over a stupid crush that will probably disappear in a week. It had to go away, right? If it did go away soon, which it  _ had  _ to, there was no need to break up with Alistair. Especially when Alistair had been a pretty great boyfriend despite their awkwardness around each other. Still, there had never been any awkwardness with Roderick. When he was with Roderick, everything seemed to click.

In that moment, sitting in between Roderick and Alistair, Spencer didn’t know what the hell he was going to do. All he knew was that he had a failing relationship, he had a crush on Roderick, and that he was so screwed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to “Tennessee Whiskey” when I first started writing this chapter, and I just thought Roderick would sound amazing singing it! He has the perfect voice for it. Thanks again for reading! <3


	4. Chapter Four: Nothing To Lose, Everything To Gain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the second to last chapter! I had so much fun writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it too! Lots of exciting stuff happens in this one. ;) Be sure to leave kudos and vote if you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading! <3

It was Friday, and Roderick once again had plans with Spencer and Alistair. He assumed that at the beginning Wednesday would be the last time he’d be asked to third wheel with the two of them, but of course Alistair had asked him to go bowling with him and Spencer. And of course, Roderick was too much of the pushover to say no. That once again proved to be Roderick’s fatal flaw as the last thing he wanted to spend his Friday doing was watch Alistair and Spencer make out all night. 

Roderick was done kidding himself about how he doesn’t have a crush on Spencer. His heart almost jumped out of his chest everytime Spencer so much as smiled at him. When Spencer sang “My Eyes Adored You” in glee club, Roderick practically melted. Although it was obvious that the song was about Alistair, Spencer occasionally glanced over at Roderick, and that let Roderick pretend, just for a few seconds, that Spencer was singing to him instead. That was as far as he would let those thoughts go, though as he wouldn’t dream of wrecking a relationship between two of his best friends. Alistair was the first friend he made at McKinley, and Spencer was one of his best friends. He wanted them to be happy, and they seemed to be very happy with each other. 

However, that didn’t stop him from feeling like he wanted to puke whenever he saw Spencer kiss Alistair at the movies, which was a hell of a lot more than Roderick thought necessary. It seemed like every five second the two of them were kissing, almost as if Spencer was trying to prove to the whole world how in love he was with Alistair. Still, Roderick knew that it was just his own jealousy talking, and he hated himself for it. The only thing that got it through that movie was whenever Spencer would lean over to him and ask him in a whisper which character was which and what exactly was happening. It was really endearing. Was it endearing enough to make it worth spending another Friday night watching Spencer fawn over Alistair while Roderick wished it was him instead? Probably not. 

Roderick was at his locker on Friday, getting books for his study hall period and debating where or not to slam his locker door into his head a few times when Jane had walked up to him. As usual, he had his headphones on and was listening to “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations, so he didn’t notice Jane was there until she gently tapped him on the shoulder. The two of them had study hall together, so they would always walk together. When he felt the tap on his shoulder, he placed his headphones around his neck and greeted her with a smile, “Hey, how’s your day so far?”

“Not too bad. Kind of a slow day,” Jane answered, “But Mason’s taking me roller skating tonight, so I’m really excited for that.”

Roderick couldn’t help but smile at that. He certainly didn’t expect Mason and Jane to start dating, but once they did it became clear that there was something special between them. It was clear in the way they looked at each other. It was nice to see how happy they were together. 

“That’s awesome,” Roderick said as they walked into the classroom before asking, “So I imagine everything’s good with the two of you?”

“Oh, it’s amazing. Mason is a total gentleman,” Jane said, sitting down at her and Roderick’s usual table, “So how about you? Any big plans for tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m going bowling with Alistair and Spencer,” Roderick asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. 

That apparently failed though because Jane’s smile faltered and said in a slightly concerned voice, “You don’t sound too excited.”

“I’m just a little tired,” Roderick said, hoping to brush it off, “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

Jane was too smart for that though, and then asked him, “Are you sure? I’ve noticed you seem a little down lately.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have some stuff on my mind,” Roderick told her. 

After hearing that, Jane asked in a hesitant voice, “Stuff about Spencer?”

As soon as he heard that, Roderick sighed audibly. He should’ve known better than to try to pull a fast one on Jane. After all, you have to be wicked smart to be the first girl accepted to an all boys school. Roderick rubbed his forehead as he asked, “Is it that obvious?”

“Not really, but I noticed the way you were looking at him on Wednesday when he was singing,” Jane said, sounding sympathetic. 

Roderick sighed once more and said, “Christ, Jane I feel like a terrible person.”

“Roderick, don’t say that. You’re one of the best people I know,” Jane tried to reassure him. 

“Yeah, one of the best people you know who likes one of his best friend’s boyfriend,” Roderick said sarcastically, more anger at himself than anything.

Jane put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, it wouldn’t even be that bad if they didn’t have me third wheel every time they’re together,” Roderick said in a defeat tone, mostly out of a need to vent. 

This seemed to catch Jane by surprise because she blinked a few times before asking, “I’m sorry, what?”

“Spencer and Alistair have been asking me to tag along on their dates for a few weeks,” Roderick explained, “At first it wasn’t so bad, but then all these feelings started to pop up, and now I just kind of sit there and watch them together and pretend I’m not miserable.”

Jane nodded slowly, but there was a look on her face that looked like she knew something Roderick doesn’t. Roderick asked her, “What is it?”

It was now Jane’s turn to sigh before she confessed, “This probably isn’t my place to say, but Spencer was singing in glee club on Wednesday, he was looking at you for about half the song.”

When Jane said that, Roderick felt his heart come to a screeching halt.  _ No way,  _ Roderick thought,  _ there’s no way _ . Not wanting to get his hopes up, Roderick reasons, “I was sitting next to Alistair during the song. Spencer was singing to him.”

Jane shook her head and said, “Trust me, he was looking at you. And then when you were singing, he couldn’t stop looking at you with this dopey smile on his face.”

Roderick’s heart then started to pick up pace. He hadn’t even noticed Spencer was looking at him while he was singing or anyone else from that matter. He had been too caught up in the song. Still cautious not to get overly optimistic, Roderick asked, “So what are you saying?”

“I think there’s a small chance Spencer might feel the same way. Why else would he be asking you to hang out all the time?” Jane suggested, “Maybe talk to Spencer about how you feel?”

“I don’t think I could do that. As much as it sucks, I wouldn’t want to do anything to wreck their relationship. And even if I didn’t wreck their relationship, I would definitely wreck my friendship with both of them,” Roderick told her. 

“I understand,” Jane responded, “But at the very least, just tell them that you aren’t comfortable with joining them on all their dates. You at least owe yourself that much.”

Roderick nodded, not being able to argue with that. Instead, he smiled, grateful for his friend, and said, “Thanks Jane. You’re the best.”

“Of course, anytime,” Jane told him with a pat on the shoulder, “And yes, I know I’m the best.”

Roderick laughed at that before he pulled out his math homework for him and Jane to work on together. 

As Roderick drove to the bowling alley, he came up with a plan about how to approach this conversation with Alistair and Spencer. He decided that tonight he would try his best not to worry about everything going on, he would just have fun bowling with his friends. Then tomorrow, he would meet up with Alistair, this was probably a good conversation to have in person, and explain to him that he hated to interfere in his and Spencer’s relationship. After that, well after that he had to figure out a way to talk to Spencer about it. Although the very thought of that made Roderick feel sick to his stomach. 

When he walked into the bowling alley, he saw Alistair and Spencer already set up at one of the lanes, but they weren’t bowling yet. They were sitting on the bench for the lane, kissing, with Spencer’s arm around Alistair. They weren’t full on making out, but it still caused a burning feeling in Roderick’s chest. 

He knew that he should probably go over to them, but he also knew there was no way to break up Spencer and Alistair kissing without it being painfully awkward. Luckily for him, Spencer soon pulled away and looked over his shoulder to see Roderick standing there. A wide smile spread across Spencer’s face as he stood up to approach Roderick and said, “Hey Roderick, how’s it going?”

“Pretty good, man,” Roderick responded with a slightly forced smile as he accepted Spencer’s bro hug before pulling away and asking, “You ready to play?”

“I’m ready to kick your butt,” Spencer answered cockily. 

Roderick chuckled and said, “Uh huh, we’ll see about that.”

Once they walked back over to their lane, Roderick smiled at Alistair and said, “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Pretty good,” Alistair said with a polite smile, although in Roderick’s mind it seemed a little forced. 

He didn’t have time to dwell on that though because Spencer clapped his hands together and said in an excited smile, “Come on, let’s get this game started!”

Roderick tried, but couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering a little seeing Spencer’s face light up with excitement. He looked very cute when he was excited. A small smirk spread across Roderick’s face as he asked Spencer, “You willing to bet on this, Mr. gambling man?”

“Depends, what are we betting?” Spencer asked curiously. 

“Ten bucks,” Roderick offered, “I figured I’d spare you from losing another twenty bucks.” 

“I don’t think you’re gonna have to worry about that,” Spencer quipped back, “Like I said earlier, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“That’s an awful lot of talking. Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?” Roderick challenged, smirk still on his face. 

Spencer smirked back at him and said, “Challenge accepted.”

By the time they had reached the tenth and final round, it was clear that Spencer was going to win. He had gotten a strike in every round but two. Roderick and Alistair didn’t have a prayer of catching up. So it was no surprise when Spencer won the game with one last strike, he started cheering in victory before making grabby hands at Roderick and saying, “Alright, hand it over, Hot Rod.”

Roderick rolled his eyes as he handed the money to Spencer and gave him the same warning from their previous bet, “You better not blow it on anything stupid.”

“No promises,” Spencer told him with a cocky smile as he accepted the money. 

Both boys laughed at that before Spencer held up the money to Alistair and told him, “Next date’s on me, babe.”

“Sounds great,” Alistair said with the same smile from before, “Hey, I’m sorry, but I have to head out now. My mom wants me home.”

“No problem, I’ll talk to you later,” Spencer said, giving his boyfriend a quick kiss.

Alistair accepted the kiss before saying, “I’ll talk to you later. Bye Roderick!”

“See ya,” Roderick said as Alistair headed out of the bowling alley. 

Once Alistair was gone, Spencer and Roderick sat down at one of the tables before Spencer said to Roderick, “Thanks again for tagging along. I’m sorry if it’s been kind of weird for you.”

“Oh don’t worry, it’s all good,” Roderick told him. He was lying through his teeth, but Roderick wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Spencer just yet. 

Spencer then asked him, “You okay? You seem a little off tonight.”

Roderick knew that Spencer was right. He hadn’t been himself throughout the night despite his best to keep up a happy appearance. Thinking on his feet, Roderick said, “Yeah, I’m fine, just a little tired. I had a crap ton of tests today.”

“Man, that sucks,” Spencer said, “Do you have Ms. Peterson for Geometry? I have her second period, and I know I bombed that test today.”

“Yeah, I do. I definitely failed it too,” Roderick answered, “I had no clue what I was doing.”

“Neither did I, I just kind of drew triangles the whole time,” Spencer confessed, making both of them laugh. 

Roderick then said, “I mean, that is pretty much the only thing Peterson has taught us to do this year.”

“True,” Spencer replied, laughing a little. 

Roderick then decided to change the subject a little and said, “Hey so I thought about what you said, I think I’m gonna go out for the sectionals solo.”

“That’s awesome, man,” Spencer responded with that same excited smile that Roderick loved, “You’ve got in the bag.”

“Thanks, but I wanted to ask if you could maybe help me rehearse?” Roderick asked. 

After asking that, Roderick felt pretty stupid. He was perfectly capable of rehearsing on his own. Still, Spencer was the one who had encouraged him to try out for the song, it would be nice to have his help while practicing. 

“Definitely,” Spencer answered without hesitation, “I’m available after school on Monday. We could probably use the choir room.”

“That sounds great, thanks,” Roderick said gratefully. 

“Of course,” Spencer said, “I’m glad you’re going out for it.”

“Well, I figured I had nothing to lose with auditioning,” Roderick told him. 

Spencer then added, “And that means you have everything to gain.”

“Wise words,” Roderick said. 

“I mean, I can’t really take credit for them,” Spencer admitted, “My dad always tells me that.”

Roderick nodded and said, “You’re dad’s a smart man.”

“Yeah, he is. He’s the best” Spencer said before asking, “Did I tell you that he was the first person I came out to?”

Roderick shook his head, which Spencer took as his cue to continue, “Yeah, him and I have always been really close, he’s honestly one of my best friends. I told him even before I told my mom. I was so scared that I actually started crying. But he just hugged me, and told me that I had no reason to cry, that he would always love me. He actually said that he was a little relieved because now he didn’t have to worry about getting some poor girl pregnant.”

Both Spencer and Roderick laughed at that as Roderick said, “That’s awesome.”

“Totally awesome. I was so scared for so long about how he would react that it was the biggest relief I ever experienced,” Spencer said as he smiled. 

When Spencer said this, Roderick felt his heart swell with emotions: mostly honor that Spencer trusted Roderick to tell him this. Spencer was smiling, but Roderick saw some tears threatening to spill out of his eyes, most likely remembering all the emotions he felt that day. Before he really knew what he was doing, Roderick gently reached over from across the table and placed his hand over Spencer’s, which was flat on the table. The two boys looked up at each other, and time stopped. 

Looking into Spencer’s eyes, holding his hand, Roderick never wanted to look away. He couldn’t feel himself blushing, but couldn’t be bothered to care. It just felt so  _ right.  _ Spencer’s eyes were a beautiful shade of blue that immediately caught Roderick’s attention. His heartbeat was beating at a rapid pace, but came to a screeching halt when Spencer smiled at him and flipped his hand over and held Roderick’s hand in his. Spencer was holding his hand. It was too good to be true. 

No, this wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. This was Alistair’s boyfriend's hand he was holding, and that wasn’t okay. It wasn’t right, at all. Roderick couldn’t let himself do it. Roderick pulled his hand away a little too harshly, almost as if his hand got burnt. His cheeks were burning bright red at this point, and he just awkwardly stuttered out, “I, um, I gotta go. It’s getting late.”

Roderick got up from the table to leave, but before he got the chance to walk away, Spencer asked him, “I’ll see you after school Monday?”

There was something in the way Spencer asked it, almost like he was begging, that broke Roderick’s heart a little. He was able to muster a smile and answered, “Yeah, totally. I’ll see ya then.”

As bad as it made him feel, Roderick let that be his goodbye. He quickly made his way out of the bowling alley and hopped in his car.  _ God, I’m so stupid _ , Roderick thought to himself,  _ why would I do that? What the hell was I thinking?  _ That was the problem, he wasn’t thinking. He was acting purely off of his emotions. He had let his emotions get the better of him, which was clearly a mistake. It had just gone to prove what Jane had said earlier, that he couldn’t keep tagging along with Spencer and Alistair. It was just too painful. Therefore, he quickly pulled up his texts with Alistair and typed,  _ Hey do you think we could meet at the coffee shop tomorrow morning? _

Before Roderick had the chance to chicken out, he sent text before putting his car in drive and heading home. When he had gotten home and parked in his driveway, he checked his phone and saw a response from Alistair,  _ Yep, that sounds good. I’ll meet you there around 9:30? _

_ Well, this is it _ , Roderick thought to himself,  _ Too late to go back now.  _

__ The next morning, Roderick was at the Lima Bean early. He had a habit of arriving earlier than planned. His grandpa taught him that to be early is to be on time and to be on time is to be late. When he got there, he had texted Alistair to ask what he wanted, got both of their orders, and grabbed a table for them. As he sat at the table, headphones on and listening to Fleetwood Mac, Roderick was bouncing his leg, anxious about the conversation he was about to have. He was never great at confrontation, and although this wasn’t necessarily a confrontation, it still made Rodeerick’s stomach turn a little bit. Eventually, Alistair walked in. Roderick was sitting facing the door, so he took his headphones off and waved Alistair over to the table. 

“Hey man,” Alistair greeted with a smile as he sat down, “How’s it going?”

“Not too bad,” Roderick answered before asking, “You?”

“Good,” Alistair said, although it sounded a bit like a cop out answer, “Thanks for the coffee.”

“No problem,” Roderick replied. 

Alistair took a sip from his coffee before asking, “So what’s up?”

Roderick took a deep breath before saying what he had rehearsed a million times in his head, “I just wanted to talk to you about something. I just...so I love hanging out with you and Spencer...but I don’t think I can keep tagging along on your dates. I don’t want to be interfering with your guy’s relationship.”

Alistair nodded before telling him, “Well, I appreciate you telling me, but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.”

“What do you mean?” Roderick asked, confused. 

It was Alistair's turn to sigh a little before saying, “I’m breaking up with Spencer tonight.”

When Alistair said that, Roderick was surprised, but only slightly so. When he had been tagging along with Spencer and Alistair, they were very affectionate with each other, and Spencer kept telling Roderick that they were on a good track. Still, they never really seemed to be able to hold a conversation without Roderick. Alistair had even left early last night. All the dots seemed to finally connect in Roderick’s mind. Still, Roderick’s only response was to say, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was kind of bound to happen. I mean, Spencer’s a great guy, and he’s ridiculously hot, but the only thing we really had in common is that he both liked to make up with each other,” Alistair explained, “Spencer did everything he could to try and fix things, and I really appreciate it, but I don’t think it’s fair to either of us to keep going. I actually think I owe you an apology.”

“No, you really don’t have to,” Roderick told him, shaking his head a little. 

Alistair then said, “No, I do. Spencer and I kind of dragged you into our relationship problems. You didn’t need to deal with that.”

After taking another sip from his coffee, Alistair then said, “Also, Spencer’s totally into you. I just don’t think he’s completely realized yet.” 

Once Roderick heard that, he was completely baffled. Alistair had to have lost his mind. There was no way Spencer was into Roderick. Almost out of instinct, Roderick shook his head a little and said, “No way, you’re crazy.”

“Are you serious? It’s so blatantly obvious,” Alistair said, laughing a little, “In case you haven’t noticed, Spencer has a terrible poker face. He was making goo goo eyes at you the entire time you were singing “Tennessee Whiskey’. Plus, he almost never stops talking about you.”

This definitely made Roderick reconsider things. Alistair was now the second person to point out Spencer staring at him while he sang, the first being Jane. Plus, the fact that Spencer apparently talked about him a lot, that was definitely something. Once again, Roderick deflected by saying, “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Nothing’s gonna happen between us.”

“Why not?” Alistair asked, in a curious way rather than an accusatory way. 

Roderick answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Because you’re my friend. I’m not gonna go after your ex boyfriend.”

Alistair laughed once again before saying, “Look Roderick, it’s not like either of us cheated and hate each other’s guts, we just weren’t meant to be. I want both of you to be happy. And it’s pretty obvious that Spencer likes you, and you like him back, and that you guys have a lot in common. I think you should go for it.”

Roderick sighed at that, still not completely convinced. Was he really gonna go from arguing with Spencer constantly, to being his friend, to being a third wheel in Spencer’s relationship, to being Spencer’s boyfriend. It all seemed pretty insane. Granted, Mr. Hummel had clued the new glee club in on some of the drama that occurred with the original glee club, and it made Roderick’s predicament seem pretty tame in comparison. And then there was that moment with Spencer last night, smiling at him, holding his hand, how it all made him feel. If there was even a small chance of Roderick being able to have a moment with Spencer like that, Roderick just might have to take it. 

“At the very least, will you talk to him about it?” Alistair asked. 

Roderick nodded slowly and said, “Yeah, I will.”

“Good,” Alistair said, smiling. 

Since Roderick was meeting with Spencer after school on Monday, it gave Roderick a chance to prepare, and panic over what he was going to say to Spencer. He was probably overthinking it, but this wasn’t necessarily something he could blurt out. He couldn’t just say,  _ Hey Spencer, I know you and Alistair just broke up, but both him and Jane have told me that you like me, and I like you too. Wanna make out? _

__ Well, technically he could say that, but it would make him look like a gigantic idiot and a huge douchebag. 

He briefly considered singing to Spencer. After all, that’s how Mr. Hummel and Mr. Anderson fell for each other, but the more he thought about it, he realized that it wasn’t really his style. It was pretty extra. 

By the time Monday rolled around, Roderick still had no idea what he was going to say. He hadn’t been able to focus in any of his classes as he was too busy freaking out about his upcoming conversation with Spencer. He was so freaked out that he actually briefly reconsidered the whole singing idea. 

The second the dismissal bell rang, Roderick dashed to the choir room. He threw his stuff down and tried to sit for a bit, but he quickly became too antsy that he stood up and started pacing around and ringing his hands together. As he paced anxiously back and forth, The Temptations’s song, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” played through his headphones, calming him down ever so slightly. This was it. No backing out now. He had to step up and tell Spencer how he felt. 

Roderick stopped pacing and pulled his hands phones off when Spencer walked into the choir room. His heart started to beat so loud that he was certain Spencer could hear it. Roderick noticed that Spencer’s face looked a little sad, and Roderick assumed that it was because of the breakup with Alistair. That made Roderick think that maybe this wasn’t a great idea after all. 

Still, Spencer offered Roderick a kind smile and asked, “Hey man, you ready to practice?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Roderick answered as he and Spencer sat down in two rolly chairs in front of the piano. Before they began practicing though, Roderick said in a sympathetic voice, “I’m sorry to hear about you and Alistair.”

Spencer shook his head and said, “Don’t be, it honestly should have happened a while ago. He just had the guts to do what I couldn’t.”

“So you’re not upset?” Roderick asked. 

“I mean, I’m kind of bummed out, but we ended things on good terms. It was what’s best for us. We tried really hard to make it work, but it just didn’t,” Spencer said, sighing a little, “Speaking of, I really owe you an apology.”

“What do you mean?” Roderick asked. 

Spencer answered, “The reason I started bringing you on my dates with Alistair was because I thought you would make a good buffer, and that it would help Alistair and I. But then once we started hanging out more, I just wanted to spend more time with you. I’ve had more fun with you than Alistair and I ever had together, so I kept dragging you along. That wasn’t cool of me, and I’m really sorry.”

Roderick knew that this was supposed to be an apology, but he couldn’t really bring himself to focus on that part. Roderick couldn’t hold his smile back and asked, “So wait, you just wanted to spend more time with me?”

When Roderick asked that, Spencer did something Roderick never thought he would see Spencer do: blush. His cheeks turned bright red, and it was  _ really  _ freaking cute. Spencer smiled a little as he said, “Yeah, I guess that’s another reason Alistair and I didn’t work out. I kind of have a giant crush on someone else.”

Roderick’s heart once again started beating loudly and rapidly, but it wasn’t from nerves this time. It was from excitement. Spencer liked him back. Spencer liked him back! It was almost too good to be true. That same special feeling from Friday night where he was holding Spencer’s hand returned, and it gave Roderick the courage he needed. After all, he had nothing to lose, which meant he had everything to gain. Roderick smirked a little as he said, “You know, that’s funny that you say that. Jane actually mentioned that you we’re making goo goo eyes at me last week. That true?”

“Well, I’m not sure ‘goo-goo eyes’ is the best term for it,” Spencer answered, smirking a little as he leaned forward a little, “But if it was, what are you going to do about it?”

Spencer was so close to Roderick now, that Roderick decided,  _ screw it.  _ Roderick quickly grabbed Spencer’s face in his hands and pressed their lips together. 

Sparks was too much of an understatement to describe that kiss. Sure, Roderick had always known he was bi, but up until now he had never had the chance to kiss a guy. And it was  _ amazing.  _ Spencer reacted almost immediately by kissing back, and placing his hands on Roderick’s broad shoulders as Roderick moved his arms to wrap around Spencer’s neck.  _ Damn,  _ was the only thought Roderick could manage to muster, his mind pretty much blank with bliss. Spencer was an awesome kisser, no doubt about that. It wasn’t just the fact that Spencer was a great kisser though, it was the emotion behind it. All the bottled up feelings from the past few weeks were finally being expressed in one sweet, romantic, and passionate kiss, and it couldn’t have been better. 

It was with great reluctance that the two of them pulled away from their kiss after a few moments, both needing to catch their breaths. When they pulled away, arms still wrapped around each other as they smiled brightly and panted a little, Spencer smirked a little and said to Roderick, “That’s a bold move.”

Roderick’s smile grew, remembering him and Spencer's conversation from when they went to the music store together. Roderick smirked back and said, “I’m a bold guy.”

Spencer chuckled at that before pulling Roderick into another sweet and passionate kiss. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The last chapter! This chapter is honestly just pure, unfiltered fluff! I hope you all enjoy! :)

It was another Friday for Spencer, and he was walking down the school hall to his boyfriend, Roderick, who was at his locker gathering his books. Once Spencer walked over to his boyfriend with a smile, Spencer gave Roderick a kiss on the cheek and greeted, “Hey there, Hot Rod.”

Roderick chuckled at that nickname as he gave Spencer a proper kiss before saying, “Hey there.”

“You got any big plans tonight?” Spencer asked jokingly, already knowing the answer. 

“Not particularly,” Roderick answered, smirking a little, “Why, you have something in mind?”

Spencer smiled as he held Roderick’s hand and answered, “My parents aren’t going to be home tonight. I figured you could stay the night, we could order pizza, watch  _ Shawshank _ , maybe start watching  _ Cobra Kai. _ ”

“Wow, pizza and  _ Shawshank _ . You trying to woo me or something?” Roderick asked jokingly. 

Spencer chuckled a little and responded, “Possibly.”

“Well, that sounds great,” Roderick told Spencer happily before giving him a quick kiss. Once he pulled away, Roderick said to Spencer, “C’mon, let’s get to glee club.”

“Sure you don’t just wanna ditch? Get home early?” Spencer asked with a smirk. 

Roderick paused for a moment before answering, “As tempting as that sounds, we’re starting the blocking for sectionals today, so we should probably be there.”

Spencer sighed over dramatically before saying, “Fine, if you insist.”

Roderick chuckled and gave Spencer another quick kiss before the two of them began to walk towards the auditorium, holding hands. 

It’s been three weeks since Roderick and Spencer had first kissed in the choir room. After that kiss, they went to Breadstix and had a long conversation about everything: when they started to catch feelings, what exactly those feelings were, how to approach this relationship in a way that was respectable to Alistair, what they wanted that relationship to be. It all ended with Spencer officially asking Roderick to be his boyfriend, and the two of them making out in the back of Spencer’s car. And  _ holy crap,  _ Roderick was an amazing kisser. 

During those three weeks, Spencer had been on Cloud Nine. Everytime he and Roderick went out, Spencer dreaded saying goodbye. In fact, he would drag out saying goodbye for as long as possible by giving Roderick a nice, long kiss. Spencer always felt a warm kind of happiness whenever he was with Roderick. Roderick understood Spencer in a way most other people didn’t; he had the exact same dry humor as Spencer and was always ready to riff off of Spencer’s jokes. There was never any awkwardness between the two of them. They could talk for hours on end about anything. There was also never any pattern when it came to the two of them. Every date was a never adventure: trips to the arcade, roller skating, ice cream after football games, hikes, anything they could find to do in Lima, they would do together. 

Before walking into the auditorium, Roderick and Spencer exchanged another kiss. They never really showed much PDA in glee club out of respect for Alistair. Although Alistair had expressed that he was happy for the both of them, Spencer and Roderick both agreed that the least they could do was not suck each other’s faces off right in front of him during rehearsal. The kiss was meant to be quick, but Spencer kind of got lost in it, and dragged it out for longer. Spencer was sure that Roderick wasn’t complaining, though. They eventually broke away when they heard Kitty say, “Come on you two, get in the auditorium! You can exchange salvia after rehearsal!”

Spencer rolled his eyes as he pulled away, and said, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll be right there.”

Roderick chuckled a little before gently pulling Spencer by the hand and saying, “Let’s go. We don’t wanna piss off Kitty.”

Although rehearsal was rather uneventful, it was also pretty productive. They were able to successfully block all the numbers, and run through the set list once. The choreography all looked great, and everyone sounded amazing. Especially Roderick singing “Take Me to Church”. Spencer knew that Roderick would sound amazing on that song, so it was fun for him to watch his boyfriend perform that song. Once rehearsal was over, Spencer went to grab his stuff from backstage before returning Roderick and Jane were talking. When Roderick looked over and saw Spencer, he gave Jane a hug before walking over to his boyfriend and asking, “Hey, you ready to go?”

“Definitely,” Spencer said before asking, “You telling Jane about what an awesome boyfriend you have?”

“Actually, I was talking to Jane about how awesome her boyfriend was,” Roderick said jokingly. 

Spencer chuckled a little at that as the two of them walked out of the auditorium, “Ouch, dude.”

“Okay yeah, I might have been talking about you a little,” Roderick admitted, taking Spencer’s hand in his as they walked down the hallway. 

Spencer smirked smugly and said, “I knew it. You’re crazy about me.”

“Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that,” Roderick said jokingly before giving Spencer a kiss on the cheek, causing Spencer to giggle a little. 

Before going to Spencer’s house, they dropped by Roderick’s so he could grab some stuff to stay over. Roderick came up with the excuse that he was crashing at the McCarthys’s house which his parents accepted without question. Once they got to Spencer’s house, they spent a good while making out before getting up to order pizza. When they pulled away from the kiss, Spencer didn’t dread it. He knew that there wouldn't be any awkward silence after they finished. Instead, there would be plenty of jokes and laughter.

Once the pizza got there, they put  _ Shawshank Redemption  _ on the TV. About half way through the movie, Spencer asked his boyfriend, “Alright so if you ever went to prison, what would your escape strategy be?”

“I wouldn’t have to worry about that because I wouldn’t go to prison in the first place,” Roderick answered. 

“Wrongful convictions happen though,” Spencer argued, “Just look at poor Andy.”

Roderick thought about it for a second before saying, “In that case, I’d go through the appeals process. If it is a wrongful conviction, there’s a ton of organizations to fight that and get people exonerated.”

“Dude, that’s so boring, I thought you were Mr. Bold Guy,” Spencer said jokingly. 

Roderick rolled his eyes a little before asking, “Okay then, what’s your genius exit strategy?”

Spencer smirked a little before saying, “Alright, so basically I’d do what Andy did, which was gain the guards trust. But I also need to make sure that my fellow prisoners like me too, and don’t think I’m a kiss ass. Once I do that, I’ll have access to unlimited resources, so I can get my hands on a shovel and a pair of clippers. After that, I just need to wait for a prison riot to break out in the year, and then I can cut my way through the fence, dig a little if I need to, and then boom!: I’m a free man.”

Roderick laughed a little and said, “Okay, you’ve put way too much thought into this. You planning on getting arrested anytime soon?”

“It’s more so being prepared for the worst case scenario,” Spencer corrected.

Roderick chuckled at that before giving Spencer a quick kiss. Once  _ Shawshank _ was over, the two of them got changed into something to sleep in before grabbing some snacks from Spencer’s kitchen and heading back downstairs. They started discussing 80s movies, considering they were both huge movie buffs, as they sat on opposite ends of the couch with their legs crossed in the middle. They talked about their favorite quotes from  _ Back to the Future _ , their favorite characters from  _ The Outsiders _ , Roderick’s was Two-Bit while Spencer’s was Dallas, what they thought the best horror movies from that time was, and which John Hughes movie was the best, which they both agreed was  _ The Breakfast Club _ . Eventually, they started talking about  _ The Karate Kid  _ and the theory about whether or not Daniel was the real villain instead of Johnny. 

“Listen, I’m saying that Johnny was completely justified, I’m just saying that Daniel was pretty annoying at times. He didn’t need to pull the hose on Johnny on Halloween,” Spencer claimed. 

“Okay, yeah Daniel could be a little extra, but I about that’s equal to being pushed down a hall by a dirt bike and getting beat within an inch of his life,” Roderick said, pausing for a second, before continuing, “However, Johnny Lawerence is crazy hot, so I guess I’m willing to forgive him.”

“Really? You think he was good looking?” Spencer asked, curiously. 

Roderick smirked before responding, “I have a thing for blondes.”

When Spencer heard that, he smirked back, trying to save face and not show that his heart did a backflip at that comment. Spencer asked him, “Oh is that so?”

“It is,” Roderick answered. 

Spencer then moved to the other side of the couch so that he was straddling Roderick as he said, “Guess I’m in luck then, huh?”

“Guess so,” Roderick responded before closing the gap between them and kissing Spencer. 

Spencer was certain that he would never get tired of kissing Roderick. Part of the reason was because Roderick was a freaking awesome kisser. Spencer didn’t understand how Roderick had only had one previous relationship considering he had kissing skills like this. The other part was that there was actual emotion behind it, not just attraction. Of course, the attraction was there, Roderick was hands down the cutest guy on the planet, but it was so much more than that. Spencer had never felt the way he did with Roderick with anyone else before. 

When he was with Alistair, it was all attraction and no emotion. While that was good for the short term, it was doomed to fail in the long term. Sure, the making out was great, but it wasn’t nearly enough to save the relationship. That’s why when Alistair came to him wanting to end things, Spencer wasn’t too surprised or devastated. He had seen it coming from a mile away and just chose to ignore it. In the end, Spencer realized that it wasn’t really a relationship. It was just two people who enjoyed making out with each other, and that’s not what Spencer wanted. He wanted someone to share things with, and that was Roderick. 

Making out was as far as the two of them went that night. Considering that they were only dating for a few weeks, and neither one of them were experienced, they definitely weren’t ready for that and wanted to take things slow. Instead, they simply ended the night cuddled up together on the couch under a blanket, Spencer’s head laying on Roderick’s chest, before falling into a peaceful sleep. Well technically, Roderick had fallen asleep. Spencer was simply laying there, enjoying the warmth of being snuggled up next to his boyfriend while listening to his heartbeat and feeling the rise and fall of his chest. The feeling Spencer had was a feeling that he had never experienced before. It was a blissful happiness, not the exciting kind of happiness that he normally felt with Roderick. It was a peaceful kind of happiness, a feeling of serenity. It was warm and comforting, and it made Spencer feel safe and wanted. This feeling only intensified when he looked up, and saw Roderick’s peaceful face as he slept. Spencer giggled a little when he noticed that Roderick had accidentally passed out with his glasses still on. Careful not to wake him up, Spencer gently pulled Roderick’s glasses off of his face and placed them on the coffee table. When he looked back up at his boyfriend, Spencer only had one thought:  _ God, he’s so handsome.  _

In that moment, looking at Roderick, Spencer felt a strange, but pleasant feeling blossom in his chest. He hadn’t felt it before, but it didn’t take long for him to figure out what the feeling was. Love. 

That terrified Spencer. He couldn’t really have fallen in love with Roderick three weeks into their relationship, could he? Granted, they had been fried for a while before they started dating, they already knew each other pretty well. Plus, Spencer was certain that he would never get the feeling he got from Roderick’s arms wrapped around him anywhere else. Still, Spencer knew he couldn’t tell him just yet. After all, couldn’t wake Roderick up in the middle of the night to tell him that he loved him. Spencer had to wait until the right moment. 

That right moment came three weeks later, the night of sectionals. Those three weeks had been a hurricane of absolute insanity. Everything from the Warblers joining New Directions, to Sue getting fired and taking over Adrenaline, to spraining his ankle, Spencer felt like he was hardly able to come up for air. Thankfully through all the stress and chaos, Spencer and Roderick were able to see each other through it. Even when Spencer was about ready to take that cortisone shot, Roderick had talked him out of it, and provided a much better solution. That, on top of the Amazon, heart stopping victory New Directions experienced let Spencer know that this was the perfect night to tell Roderick what he’s been wanting to tell him for the entirety of those three weeks. 

Surprisingly though, Spencer didn’t tell Roderick those three words when New Directions were declared the winners of Sectionals. Sure it was tempting, the sense of accomplishment and the adrenaline of victory took over, and the entire club was jumping all over each other, tackling one another in hugs, and letting out cheers of celebration. The sheer excitement of it all almost caused it to slip out of Spencer’s mouth, but he somehow managed not to. He wanted that moment to be just him and Roderick, no one else around. 

Thankfully, he got that chance later that night. The two of them were once again spending the night at Spencer’s house, celebrating their victory with ice cream on Spencer’s couch, both of them on opposite sides with their legs crossed in the middle. The two of them were talking about the events of the competition when Spencer mentioned how Madison screeched at the top of her lungs when Vocal Adrenaline shot those kids out of a canon which prompted Roderick to joke, “Don’t act so tough, you practically jumped out of your seat when those cannons went off.”

Spencer chuckled at that before smiling softly at Roderick before saying, “Thanks again for talking me out of getting that shot.”

“Anytime,” Roderick responded, smiling back at him, “Even one footed, you killed it tonight.”

_ This is it. This is your moment. Don’t be a wuss now,  _ Spencer thought before telling Roderick, “I love you.”

Immediately after he said this, Roderick looked at him with an expression of completed shock. When Spencer saw that, panic immediately set in for him.  _ Shit, shit, crap, I screwed up. I screwed up big time. I shouldn’t have said anything. It was too soon to _ -

His stream of panicked thoughts was cut off by Roderick leaning forward and kissing him. The kiss was soft and gentle, but so filled with emotions that it made Spencer  _ melt.  _ Without hesitation, Spencer wrapped his arms around Roderick’s neck and kissed him back. Through that kiss, Spencer knew that he didn’t have anything to worry about. Roderick felt the same way. 

Roderick was the first one to pull away from the kiss, but it was only so that he could smile and say, “I love you too.”

And that was all that needed to be said for Spencer’s heart to explode with happiness. He pulled Roderick into a deeper kiss that lasted a few long moments before pulling away and saying to Roderick jokingly, “You know, now that we’re officially in love, I’m pretty sure this means we have to sing a romantic duet in glee club.”

Roderick laughed loudly at that before asking, “Oh god, seriously?”

“Kurt told me it was some weird right of passage with the original glee club,” Spencer explained, laughing as well, “Apparently whenever two of them got together or hit some relationship milestone they would sing a duet together to announce it to the rest of the club?”

“Geez, Did the fight about their relationship issues through song too?” Roderick asked sarcastically. 

Spencer shrugged, “Honestly, it would surprise me if they did.”

The two of them laughed again once more before Roderick said, “Well in that case, I think we should do a Duran Duran song.”

Spencer laughed at that, as their inside joke about Duran Duran was still going on. Spencer asked, “Seriously, dude?” 

“What? I think it’d be really sexy,” Roderick said, though it was obvious in his tone of voice that he was joking. 

“You’re lucky that you’re cute,” Spencer fake warned before giving Roderick a quick kiss, “And that I love you.”

“I love you too,” Roderick responded, pulling Spencer in for another kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting! I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would read this story considering Spoderick is such an underrated ship, so I’m very happy and grateful to see that people enjoyed it. Thank you so much to everyone who read, left kudos, and commented. It really means the world to me. I hope you all had as much fun reading this story as I did writing it. Thank you again for reading, I really appreciate it!  
> -TheLonelySunflower :) <3


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